The Gift
by aphrael21
Summary: Now that everyone is busy decorating for Christmas, will Seto and Téa find a quiet little corner to themselves? Will anyone find out about them? (SetoxTéa) Complete.
1. The Gift

**The Gift**

What happens when someone unexpectedly drops in on Seto with a Christmas present just for him? How will he react?

My first fic. Please be gentle.

I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the awesome characters created by Kazuki Takahashi. Please don't sue me. Reviews and constructive criticism greatly appreciated while flames will be ignored with a single, withering look.

Seto sat in his leather office chair, staring at the small, brightly wrapped box before him on the polished mahogany surface of his desk. He'd been staring at it for at least an hour, ever since she'd dropped it off at his place earlier that afternoon. What had she said? Something about it being especially for him. Not to share it with anyone. He frowned as he tried to recall her exact wording.

He replayed the meeting in his mind. It hadn't lasted very long, maybe two or three minutes. He'd been sitting in his office, working on the latest upgrades to his portable duel disk system when Roland had announced a visitor. Looking up, annoyed at the interruption, he hadn't expected to see the blue-eyed brunette, carrying a small purple bag, who followed Roland into the room. He'd been intrigued as to the reason she had come all the way to his home to see him. And there was nothing he enjoyed more than finding answers to things that piqued his interest. She'd smiled shyly at him, her blue eyes slightly downcast, and he motioned for her to approach and sit in the chair opposite his. Roland had departed quietly and that was when Seto had asked her, in his usual venom-dripping voice, what she'd wanted. There was no point in letting her know that he was curious about her appearance there. Still smiling shyly as she sat across from him, she had dug into her little purple bag and pulled out a small box wrapped in red and green paper with a gold bow on top and placed it gently on his desk, right in amongst all of his notes, diagrams and programming code. When he'd looked from the box to her, she was already standing up and looking a little more somber. He racked his brain trying to remember what she'd said just then. Concentrating hard, he finally recalled the conversation.

"Well, I came by to drop this off for you. I mean, it's the Christmas season after all and I realized that I had never gotten you a present before. We're supposed to be friends, right? Well, friends get other friends presents for special occasions. It's kind of an apology, too," she'd replied, her voice quiet and soft. She'd looked at her hands then but he'd seen the blush on her cheeks.

Leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands together in his lap, he had looked at her piercingly and asked, "Apology? For what?"

"For all of our claims of friendship, we haven't been very nice to you. We haven't invited you to anything that we do as a group." She had then held up her hand, stopping him from speaking out with that one move. "I know, I know, you really don't want to hang with us but the thought behind the gesture is just as important as the gesture itself. I wanted to let you know that you are welcome to join us anytime you want. In fact, if you want, you, and Mokuba of course, could come to the Christmas party we're having at my place this weekend, on Saturday actually. I really do want us all to be friends. I don't want us to be fighting each other all the time. There are much more important things we could do with our time." Her blue eyes had met his and he could see the sincerity, and something else he couldn't identify, evident there.

"And what makes you think I'd want to go to your pathetic party in the first place?" His voice had dripped poison again and he watched her eyes sink again towards her hands. He'd hit a nerve there, he figured, as he watched her hands tighten around the strap of the tiny purple bag.

"Like I said, Kaiba, the gesture is just as important as the thought behind it. I've extended my hand towards you. It's up to you to decide whether you grasp it in friendship or not. Whether you do or don't doesn't concern me right now. I honestly just came by to drop off your Christmas present. I left Mokuba's present with Roland. This is just for you, something special that I found one day. Hope you like it and hope to see you at the party," she had replied, calmly, to his sarcastic jibe before turning on her heel and striding out the door with her head held high, leaving him speechless.

And there he'd sat for the last hour, just staring at that box, wondering what was inside and daring himself to open it. It had been a long time, a very long time, since someone outside of his immediate family had given him a present. Only Mokuba had ever given him a present that meant something to him. Secretly, Mokuba would come into his room and leave his present under his bed so that he had something to look forward to the next day. He'd cherished those presents and homemade cards. If anyone found out that he had kept all of them, he'd die of shame and his reputation as the human glacier would be ruined. He was not a sentimental fool. Well, maybe just a bit, he mentally amended.

Gozaburro, his stepfather, had never given either of them birthday or Christmas presents. It was a sign of weakness to accept a gift for something you had no control over. According to him, birthdays were useless. Big deal, so you had been born. That was no cause for celebration at all. And Christmas? It was just a corporate excuse to take a holiday and indulge in too much drink and food. A time for businesses to make money off the poor fools that bought into the whole idea of good will to all men and who spent huge quantities of their paycheques buying things for those they loved.

Seto shook his head, trying to break the mesmerizing spell that one small box had put him under. A simple box in wrapped paper. The memories it brought to the surface threatened to make Seto remember the happier times in his life, his life before his parents' fatal accident. Memories of running down the stairs, with Mokuba close behind, to see what Santa had left under the tree for them. Waking up Mom and Dad with their shouts of delight at finding a seeming mountain of gifts piled under the tree. Mom making breakfast and admonishing them to wait until after they'd eaten to open anything. Dad handing them each a small present and telling them to open it quietly or Mom would hear. Their whispered shouts at the decks of cards or small boxes of chocolates that were revealed under that paper.

Seto closed his eyes and sighed. It was no use. The memories came flooding back and he felt a tear trickle from the corner of his eye. It had been so long. Should he open the present and see what he'd been given? Or should he just throw it out in the garbage next to his desk. The latter would be easier. His mouth tightened to a thin line and his fists were white knuckled. Why should he even care about a present that one of Yugi's little friends had given him? He hated them, hated them all. Having friends was a useless expenditure of time and money. He had better things to do than "hang out" with friends. Like run his multi-million dollar corporation, plan out Kaiba Land and perfect his duelling system.

Then why was he so jealous of them all the time? Yugi always had friends surrounding him when he duelled. Hell, the kid never lost because he believed in his friends and in the heart of the cards. At least that's what he was always spouting off about. Maybe, just maybe, there was something to be said for having friends. Mokuba was always cheering him on but he was envious of the attention that Yugi got, even from the mutt.

He frowned again. No, having friends was useless. They just dragged you down and held you back. They were a weakness and that was one thing Seto Kaiba was not. He was not a weakling to give in to the temptation of having friends, no matter how much he wanted to. Gozaburro had ingrained that lesson as deeply as any of the others Seto had been forced to learn with the touch of the whip and the word. Nothing less than perfect was acceptable and Gozaburro made sure he understood that perfectly, no matter how much it hurt and no matter how much he bled.

But Gozaburro was gone now. Why couldn't Seto try to undo the damage he'd done? He could start by opening the present at least. It was only polite. It was also obvious that she'd wrapped the present with some care. It would be a shame to waste the effort she'd put into it. Curiosity got the better of him and he picked up the brightly wrapped box and held it in his hands. It was heavier than he'd expected it to be. The present was something larger than a tie at least. He had enough of those, in all colours of the rainbow no less. Her tone of voice, and the sparkling glint in her eyes, had suggested it was something he, and he alone, would enjoy.

His eyebrows knit together and one hand gently pulled off the golden bow that crowned the gift. Setting it off to the side, he turned the small box over, looking for the seam that held the paper on. Carefully peeling the tape away in several spots, he took the red and green paper off. A small blue box rested in his hands, looking much less of a threat with the colourful paper removed. With trembling fingers, he separated the top from the bottom and peered inside. The present itself was still hidden under a layer of green tissue paper. Sighing, he pulled the edges aside and revealed what was underneath.

He gasped in surprise, his eyes wide in appreciation. It was beautiful, breathtaking even. Two distinct pieces glinted up at him from the nest of green tissue they rested on. They were definitely something only he could enjoy. She'd been right in telling him that.

The first piece was a belt buckle. A belt buckle that shone in the light pouring in from the windows. That wasn't the exciting part though. It was shaped like the head of a Blue Eyes White Dragon, the tooled silver shimmering, casting shadows across the surface. He looked more closely at it and smiled in delight. A rare moment in life had made him smile like this before. At the very edges, carved in ornate letters were the initials S.K. Now, why hadn't he thought of this before? It took a fiery, blue-eyed brunette with courage and guts to give this kind of a present to him when he could have had it made for himself. She wasn't just a cheerleader, he thought to himself. She was quite observant and his respect for her grew. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

The second piece astounded him upon closer examination. It was a duelling case to put his cards into. The same theme continued though. The leather case was exquisite, soft and supple as his fingers caressed it. The same workmanship from the belt buckle was present in the Blue Eyes that was worked onto the surface, again in silver. The same stylized dragon roared at him from the cover. There was a subtle difference, though. The eyes, he thought, the eyes weren't the same. They shone with a different light and they were actually blue. He gasped. Small sapphires twinkled for the eyes, bringing them to life as they caught and reflected the light in the room.

Snicking open the cover, he marvelled at the workmanship inherent in the piece. It opened seamlessly, the dragon's mouth opening to reveal a blue velvet interior that would house his precious duelling deck. His eyebrows rose as he spied a white envelope inside the case. Pulling it out of the dragon's mouth, he smiled again.

A smooth, flowing hand had written his name neatly on the front of the envelope. Turning it over, he pulled out the note that was tucked inside. Unfolding it carefully, he read the contents slowly, savouring the words inscribed there. Her attention to detail was present even here.

Seto Kaiba,

I hope you enjoy this present. It's meant to make up for quite a few missed birthdays and Christmases and for that I'm really sorry. I know your favourite card is the Blue Eyes White Dragon, which is why I chose these two items for you.

And I meant it when I said that this present is something only you would enjoy. I don't know anyone else that this would be suitable for.

Enough blathering here. I really do want you to come to my Christmas party, even if it's only to say thank you. My address is listed on the back of this card. Bring Mokuba along if you decide to come. I haven't seen that little rascal in ages, since the end of Battle City at least.

Merry Christmas, Seto!

It was signed simply "Téa". He read the message again and sighed. She'd just forced his hand as if this was a duel and she was in charge. Now he HAD to go to her party, to at least say thank you for such an amazing gift. And once Mokuba found out about it, which he would there was no doubt about that, he'd beg to go there. His little brother made friends easily and he'd decided that Yugi and company were his friends. That time when Seto had been stuck in that virtual world, he'd gone running over there to ask for help. Seto couldn't blame him either. He'd had nowhere else to turn and he didn't know enough of the program to figure out how to get his big brother out of there himself.

"Seto!" Well, speak of the devil, he thought and smiled to himself as his little brother burst into the room, black hair flying behind him, holding a brightly wrapped box in front of him. The energy the kid possessed never ceased to amaze him as he jumped into the same chair she had sat in just over an hour before. "Someone left me a Christmas present with Roland. Do you know who it's from? I haven't opened it yet. Can I open it, Seto? I know it's not Christmas yet but I really want to know what it is!"

Smiling indulgently, he replied, "It's from Téa. Go ahead and open it. I've opened mine." Mokuba's eyes widened as he took in the two silver pieces that lay before his big brother on the desk.

"Wow. Téa got you those two things? They're awesome, Seto. Can I look at them?" Mokuba's hand reached out and gently picked up the duelling case. "I can't believe it, it's so beautiful. Téa gave this to you? I hope you said thank you at least."

Seto grimaced. Lectured on all sides for his manners, or lack thereof. "Hmm, they are really nice. Why don't you open your present, Mokuba? I want to see what she got you."

"Okay, Seto." Two words and he was ripping the paper apart. He wasn't quite as careful as Seto was but he had the excuse of youthful exuberance on his side. Probably chocolate, too. The wrapping paper and bow ended up on the floor and Mokuba quickly opened the box and tore away the tissue paper. "Aww, it's a shirt. It's not as nice as your present, Seto. But I like it anyways." Pulling out the shirt, he held it against himself, measuring to make sure it would fit. Mokuba was actually becoming a fashion plate and he was starting to enjoy clothes shopping. Some days, Seto had a hard time pulling him out of the mall to go home. The shirt was just the right size, it seemed, and the purple colour met with Mokuba's approval. "Hey, there's something at the bottom of the box!" Fishing it out, he opened the envelope and let out a whoop of joy.

"What is it, Mokuba?" Seto asked, his curiosity piqued once more. His brother was doing what he presumed was a dance of joy around the chair.

"It's a $20 gift certificate to Arcade World. Wow! That's my second favourite place in the mall. How did she know, Seto?" Seto laughed aloud at Mokuba's reactions to his presents. His little brother stopped and stared at him. "What are you laughing about, Seto? You never laugh anymore." And he was being serious about that. It was true. Seto never laughed unless he had the upper hand. That last laugh had been a happy laugh, though, something he hadn't done in years. Mokuba had picked up on it and was puzzled.

"Nothing you would understand, Mokuba." One fiery, blue-eyed brunette had caused all of this to happen with two small, not so simple presents. Quite the accomplishment for one that he had thought of as just an "empty headed cheerleader" yesterday. One day can change everything. He felt a burning glow start in the pit of his stomach as he thought about Saturday night and felt his cheeks redden. Looking at his brother as he continued his victory dance on the floor of Seto's office, he asked, "Mokuba, do you want to go to a Christmas party?"


	2. The Visitor

**The Visitor**

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh and probably never will. "sniff"

Thanks to any and all who have read the first part of this story called "The Gift". This was all inspired by a dream, believe it or not. On to the next chapter.

The wind whipped her hair around wildly, the snowflakes falling everywhere, as Téa struggled to open the door to her house. She grimaced to herself and set down the three bags of groceries she had in her hands and then tried opening the door again. At last, success. Bringing the bags inside, she shut the door quickly behind her and gave her head a toss. Her long, brown hair shook the snowflakes free to tumble all over the maroon carpet in the living room.

"What a mess it is out there. I hope everyone makes it here for the party okay," she said aloud to herself as she moved all of her recent purchases into the bright and airy kitchen. The window afforded her a view of the snowstorm that was currently brewing outside, the wind madly blowing through the trees and the snow falling more thickly now. Sighing in exasperation at the weather and wondering why it had to happen on today of all days, she unpacked the vegetables, cheese, meat and noodles that she'd bought for the party. Her part of the party was to make the food and all of her other friends were going to bring the decorations over. Knowing Joey, though, he was complaining about that since he'd much rather be where the food is than stuck trying to drag a tree and lights over here. She smiled at the thought of him, Yugi and Tristan lugging a pine tree here just for Christmas. At least her parents had said it was okay to have a party or two while they were gone on business. They'd even left her some extra money so that she wouldn't have to dip into her own pocket. She just wished they could have been there to spend the holidays as well.

It wasn't that they didn't love her or shower her with attention or anything like that. It just seemed that recently they were spending more and more time with their business than with her. She was growing up, they'd said, and becoming more independent so they wanted to do the best they could for her so she could go to the school of her choice once high school was finished. Or even New York, if she was really serious about her dancing career. She loved them for that, knowing that they really didn't want her to go to the States.

Walking back into the living room for a quick moment, she turned on the stereo and tuned it to a station that was playing only Christmas songs. She needed the motivation to get herself going and the happy, merry music was a perfect accompaniment to the mountain of work she had to do before 6 pm, when everyone was going to show up for dinner. Back in the kitchen, Téa checked the clock. 11 am. She had 7 hours to get drinks, dinner, dessert and snacks ready for everyone. Plenty of time to make enough food that even Joey would be full by the time dinner was done. She figured on working on the big stuff first, that way it was done and she could concentrate on the all the little stuff. Opening one of the cupboards, she pulled out the biggest lasagna pan she could find. This was one dish that she could cook better than anyone else, even her mother. Her father had said so, when her mother hadn't been in the kitchen. And it was a treat since she didn't make it very often either. The gang was going to love this.

She worked quickly and efficiently for the next couple of hours, getting the lasagna ready and making the apple cider that just needed heating in order for it to be perfect. Popping the big pan into the oven and setting the temperature to its lowest setting, she put her hands on her hips and leaned back, stretching the muscles and hearing a small pop. Checking the clock once more, she saw that it was only twenty after one. Now would be the best time to get in the shower and get cleaned up for the gang. They would probably be early, and hungry, so she wanted to be prepared.

The welcome spray of hot water soothed her so much that she hadn't realized how tense she was. Only one reason for the tenseness. A reason that she hadn't let herself think about all day, or all week for that matter. Who was she kidding? She hadn't stopped thinking about it at all. She'd invited Seto Kaiba over to share Christmas with them in a fit of peace and good will to all. That was the reason she told herself anyways. And Téa still didn't know if he was coming or not. He hadn't sent her a response or anything. Hell, he hadn't even thanked her for the gift she'd spent hours agonizing over before she'd gone ahead and bought it for him. Her mouth tightened into a thin line as she recalled that couple of minutes she'd spent in his office. She'd been calm and collected but he'd been colder than ever, the ice god, and his words had dripped venom. Well, fine, if he wanted to be an ass and not thank her, then so be it. She thought maybe her note would have changed his mind. Deliberately force his hand and make him come over. She scrubbed herself down with her towel a little more harshly than necessary and hurried into her room to get dressed, still thinking about Kaiba, the note and a few other more personal thoughts about him.

A half hour later, she viewed herself in the mirror and decided that she looked good. The red turtleneck hugged her in all the right spots and her blue jeans were just snug enough to be comfortable. Her hair cascaded down her back in a shimmering wave of chocolate and she thanked herself for deciding to let it grow. As she descended the stairs to head back to the kitchen, the doorbell rang, quite insistently too, as if whoever was outside was in a great hurry. With the weather the way it was, she couldn't blame them. Entering the entranceway, she paused before the door to catch her breath, sincerely wishing that whoever it was would stop punching the doorbell. She wasn't deaf and they'd gotten her attention. The door latch felt cool under her fingers as she pushed it down and opened the door, figuring it was the guys coming over early with the tree.

"Gardner, thought I'd forgotten about your little get together today?" a cool voice asked amidst the swirl of snow the wind carried into her face. No, it couldn't be... could it?

"Kaiba?" She was so shocked that he'd actually shown up that she couldn't decide what to do next.

"Good grasp of the obvious, Gardner. Now, can I come in or do you want me to freeze to death out here?" he asked, somewhat good-naturedly. He still couldn't believe he'd come here today, in the face of everything and the weather, too. One little box wrapped in green and red paper was the cause. And a note written in a neat, flowing hand. At least he'd had the sense to drop Mokuba off at Yugi's. Just in time too, as they'd been gearing up to head out and get a Christmas tree. That gave him at least an hour to thank Téa for the gift she'd given him earlier in the week, part of which he was currently wearing, and maybe make an apology to her for being such an ass that day as well. Maybe. The other part of her gift was in his coat pocket, holding his deck and her precious invitation.

Shaking her head, she stepped back from the door and waved him inside. He came in gratefully, glad to escape the snow that was blowing about fiercely. The door closed behind him and he finally got a good look at his hostess. And inhaled sharply. Red was definitely a good colour for her, he thought, as his eyes skimmed over her. The cold from the outside at least hid the darkening of his cheeks.

"Thanks for coming, Kaiba, but you're a little early. Where's Mokuba?" At least her voice didn't betray her as she watched his hand comb his snow-dampened hair back from his face, wet flakes falling to the floor with a splat. Now that it was all dishevelled, her fingers itched to put it back in place and she had to plant her feet firmly to stop herself.

"I dropped him off at Yugi's place. They were just leaving to get a tree when we came by. Mokuba thought it would be high adventure to go tree hunting with them so I said it was all right. And I'm early because I wanted to thank you, privately." He took a step towards her and she backed up and turned away.

"Come on inside, then. You can thank me over a cup of coffee. With the weather the way it is out there, you could probably use something to warm you up." Seto groaned as he thought about what he really wanted to do to warm up. The tension he felt between them was unmistakable and undeniable. She led the way through the living room, not looking back, hoping he took enough of a hint and followed her. No threat of him not following her. He was captivated by her once more. Her coolness in the face of him just showing up on her doorstep fascinated him. Most everyone else would have been flustered to be faced by the CEO of one of the most powerful corporations in the entire country confronting them in the midst of a snowstorm. Not her. Her smile when she'd let him in had been genuinely pleased, and it had set him afire. Never had he felt like this before.

"Gardner, I just wanted to say..." he started before being interrupted. The apology was the first thing he wanted to say and get out of the way. That was more important to him than anything else was right now.

"Shh, not now, Kaiba. I said you could thank me over coffee and I meant it. No more talk of thank you's right now. The coffee will only take a few minutes to get ready. Surely you can wait that long," she replied over her shoulder. She was going to savour this when it happened. Seto Kaiba thanking her for something she'd done for him. This was a first and one for the record books. She grinned to herself, glad that he couldn't see the glee written on her face.

Again, she'd stopped him from speaking his mind. The cheerleader had a backbone and wasn't afraid to stand up to him and put him in his place. She never had been afraid to get in his face before. Why should today be any different? But he had to respect her wishes - this was her house after all and he was only here at her invitation.

She led them both into the kitchen, where she promptly pulled out the coffeemaker and set about the task of making a proper cup of java. The motions put her at ease and she relaxed a little, even with Kaiba's eyes staring at her from behind. He'd taken a position by the counter and watched. Just focussed on her and nothing else. She sensed something different about him but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She also had enough sense to realize why she was still so tense even after her shower. Seto Kaiba, teenage billionaire, CEO of his own company, former dueling champion of Japan, was hot. Oh, she'd always found him attractive enough before but now that he was actually here, in her house, at her request, she couldn't deny the fact that he was truly handsome and oh-so-sexy as he leaned his tall frame against the edge of the counter with his hands folded across his perfect chest. Sneaking a peek out of the corner of her eye, she took in his form and saw the telltale sparkle of blue and silver at his waist. Grinning to herself, she realized that he was actually wearing her present. That made the whole agonizing day she'd spent picking it out worthwhile. She could feel a connection between them, somehow, and the tension sparking between them was thick enough to cut with a machete.

He couldn't stop looking at her. She seemed so comfortable here with him in her home. Unlike his experience with her in his. He'd been wound tight as a spring for those few minutes she'd been there. And it had taken him a long time, long after Mokuba had gone to bed, to unwind that night. Funny that he'd never thought of her as his type before.

Taking out the sugar bowl, creamer jug, a couple of mugs and spoons, Téa headed for the kitchen table to arrange them as the coffee started to brew. His eyes followed her movements and he took a step towards the table, wanting to help her get organized. Two hands reached for the sugar bowl at the same time and collided, their fingers getting entwined and tangled up. Two sets of eyes met and two sets of cheeks darkened at the contact.

"Sorry," they both said in unison and smiled. She looked away from his eyes, not wanting to get caught in their spell as they twinkled in mirth. The tangled fingers separated and Téa moved towards the oven, wanting to check on the lasagna before she totally lost it in front of Kaiba.

Now that she wasn't in his direct line of sight, he glanced around the kitchen, taking in the pictures and knick-knacks that decorated the lesser used surfaces. Looking at the smiling faces, he saw that people who loved and laughed lived here. A sense of warmth and comfort, a sense of home, radiated like a beacon from this one room. His mansion, with all of its priceless treasures and artifacts, couldn't hold a candle to the coziness this kitchen radiated. What made matters even more interesting was that he felt content and at ease here, with her, like nowhere else. Gripping the lapels of his gravity-defying coat, he slowly tugged it off and placed it on the back of a chair at the table. Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp., had officially left the building.

Opening the oven door, she inhaled deeply and smiled in satisfaction. Her lasagna was perfect. It just needed to spend the rest of the afternoon in the oven, just at the keep warm setting, to let the flavours meld and melt together into a gooey mess of cheese, meat, noodles and sauce. A faint sniff from behind her told her that Kaiba could smell it as well.

"Something smells good. What is it?" Whatever it was smelled heavenly. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a home cooked meal. Usually it was restaurant take out, pizza or soup from a can. Mokuba was going to love this, whenever they showed up with that Christmas tree anyways.

"What you smell is my famous, or infamous, 'Dieter's Nightmare Lasagna'," Téa replied, closing the oven door and turning towards the coffeemaker. Her brain was working overtime, trying to reason why Kaiba was different. The venom and sarcasm from her earlier meeting with him had disappeared. Was that why she found him so attractive now? She was brought out of her musings by his next question.

"'Dieter's Nightmare'? What kind of a name is that for a dish that people are supposed to eat?" A ghost of his former sarcastic tone suffused that last comment and he grimaced. Trying to control his sarcasm was like trying to dam Niagara Falls with a stick. It just wasn't going to happen.

She heard the tone and decided to ignore it. A verbal battle of wits was not something she wanted to get into today. "It's a nightmare to anyone on any kind of a diet, or not, because of the fried onions, mushrooms and beef, the pound or two of shredded cheese that I put in it and the alfredo sauce that I poured on top of it. If that isn't at least a bad dream, I don't know what is!"

He chuckled appreciatively. She hadn't risen to the bait. She'd just blown off his tone and ignored it. That was what he liked about her. She didn't cower under a rock but she didn't blow her lid either, like Wheeler always did. That's why Seto kept insulting him, he was so easy to target. Téa Gardner, on the other hand, was not a woman to be trifled with. "'Heart Attack on a Plate' would be a much better name for that dish then."

Grabbing the carafe of coffee, she headed for the table and he caught the grin on her lips. "Hahaha, very funny, Kaiba," she commented as she poured them each a cup of the steaming brew. Téa motioned to a seat and settled herself down in one of the chairs. Seto took a seat, realizing that she was the one that was totally in control of this whole situation. She had the upper hand, much as she had in his office. He still hadn't figured out why Roland had let her in there in the first place. Roland was under orders to not let anyone into the house without asking permission first. That was something he had to ask about.

Silence reigned for a moment as they got their coffees fixed up to their satisfaction. Cream and sugar for her, black for him. "Jingle Bells" was playing on the radio, he absently noted as he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Here it was, the moment of truth. The moment he'd been anticipating and dreading at the same time.

Sorry for the cliff-hanger but I really needed to get this part out of the way. The next chapter should be up in a bit. Give me a week to get some long neglected homework out of the way and then I can write the next chapter. Besides, I like leaving people in suspense!!

Aphrael21 ;)


	3. What Did He Say?

**What Did He Say!?**

Disclaimer: I still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh so I'll have to satisfy myself with just writing stuff about them.

I changed the rating just to be on the safe side since I do use **some** bad language here.

Now we come to a very important scene in the unfolding drama between Seto and Téa. What is he going to say to her? How will she react when she hears it? Does he have other surprises in store for her? Stay tuned and find out in Chapter Three!!

Thanks for all of the awesome reviews so far. I just have a question if someone could answer it for me in their review. - What is all this talk of -shipping? I have no idea what that means. Please inform me so that I don't feel like a stupid git.

On with the show...

Silence reigned for a moment as they got their coffees fixed up to their satisfaction. Cream and sugar for her, black for him. "Jingle Bells" was playing on the radio, he absently noted as he took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Here it was, the moment of truth. The moment he'd been anticipating and dreading at the same time.

It was time to say it for the first time in his life. Her eyes, almost twin to his own, watched him expectantly. This was, by far, the hardest thing he had ever done. Dueling against Yugi or wresting control of a corporation from his stepfather was one thing but trying to express himself to someone other than Mokuba was completely alien to him. How should he start?

Téa took a sip of her coffee, savouring the play of emotions across his handsome face as she waited for him to speak. The bitter brew was softened by the cream and sugar she had put in it. His eyes met hers, focused on just her, and he opened his mouth to speak. But what she heard wasn't what she'd been expecting, at all.

"I'm sorry," he whispered softly and looked away. That was it. He'd said it with all of the sincerity he could muster. There were no other words to describe what he felt like at that moment. Seto Kaiba, for the first time in his young life, was completely, utterly speechless. He always had something to say, a retort or an insult even, but to this girl... no this woman, those two words would have to be enough for the moment.

The house was so still that she could hear the lasagna pop and sizzle in the oven. She was in shock. Looking into his blue eyes, she knew the apology was genuine but it was still hard wrapping her head around..."You're sorry? For what?" Téa couldn't believe her ears. Seto Kaiba was apologizing. For what, she had no idea. But this was another for the record books. Kaiba **NEVER** apologized for anything, even when he was clearly in the wrong about something. He was looking thoughtful right now, a mood she had never seen him in before and one that was certainly quite the change from just a few minutes ago.

He sighed once and stood up, turning away from the table, staring out the window as the snow continued to fall heavily. Maybe it would be easier if her eyes weren't watching him. Her red sweater was something of a distraction as well. The way it clung to her like a second skin... and the way her chocolate hair fell over her shoulders... He shook his head once more, his still damp hair falling in a mess around his face. Now was not the time to indulge in a fantasy about her. Maybe later but definitely not right now. "I'm sorry for being a jerk the other day and not saying "Thank you." Even Mokuba gave me hell for that, once he found out." He paused for a moment to catch his breath and remembered the look of utter horror on his little brother's face when Seto had told him that he hadn't said thank you and that's why he wanted to go to the party. That wasn't the only reason, however, and Seto had been smart enough to keep that under wraps, even from his nosy little brother. His back may have been to her but he knew, just knew somehow, that she was grinning from ear to ear.

"You were only trying to be nice to me and I blew you off without a second of hesitation. You have to understand, Gardner, that no one is ever 'nice' to me. I'm the CEO of one of the biggest corporations in the entire country. My name commands respect. People don't expect me to be a nice guy. I'm supposed to be the human glacier. I'm not allowed to have feelings and emotions. I learned that lesson early in life but I won't bore you with the details. When you came into my office you upset me, for lack of a better way to phrase it." For some reason, this amused her and she couldn't help but smile again at the thought of a pissed off Kaiba. She had always liked getting in his face. It was simply payback for the way he treated Joey all the time. Watching his blue eyes flare in anger might have had something to do with it as well. Idly, she wondered what he would say if she mentioned that she thought of him as the 'ice god'.

"I was annoyed at the intrusion you represented. I don't take kindly to interruptions of any kind and your appearance threw off my work for the rest of the afternoon. Hell, long into that night. You made me think about happier times in my life. You made me realize that I haven't been living at all. I've been hiding in my fancy office, a cold-hearted bastard, thinking that nothing besides power was important to me."

He stopped talking for a moment and turned back towards her but couldn't look at her directly. He felt too vulnerable and defenseless. Never had he opened himself up like this to someone that he hardly knew. It was kind of refreshing, though. His eyes roamed around the kitchen, a place where he'd come to feel so at ease and at home in such a short span of time. The song on the radio had changed. "Let It Snow" was cheerfully playing in the background, making him feel like more of an ass for being such a downer on a holiday. Once the dam was opened, though... A quick glance in her direction and he could see that he had her hooked, line and sinker. Spellbound by him for a change instead of vice versa. He shivered as he felt her beautiful eyes gazing at him, patiently waiting for him to continue, and crossed his arms over his chest lest she hear the wild beating of his heart.

She'd never known that he could be so... intense when he wasn't dueling. Her attention was focused entirely on him. Nothing besides him and his sexy, whiskey voice existed for her as she leaned slightly closer to him, wanting to offer him some kind of comfort but not wanting to disturb him either. Mechanically, she took a sip of her coffee, didn't even taste it as she swallowed reflexively. He'd never said so many words in her presence at once before and she doubted this would ever happen again. Personal confessions like this were a once in a lifetime thing.

"That little box in red and green paper with the gold bow that you left for me was my undoing. I stared at it for at least an hour, dared myself to open it a million times and see what was in it. A tie, maybe a wallet or a keychain. That's what I was expecting. I only opened it to be polite. The effort you put into wrapping it demanded at least that much from me. When I saw what it was, I was, to put it mildly, amazed. No one has ever given me such a gift before. I saw a different side of you that I'd never even suspected existed, Gardner."

Uncrossing his arms, he thrust his hands into his pockets and half turned back towards the woman sitting at the table, cup of coffee forgotten in her raised hand. His fingers brushed against the small box that hid in his pocket, the smooth feel of the creamy paper it was wrapped in making him wonder if that's what her cheek felt like. If he was lucky, he might get to find out for sure. "Thank you, Téa Gardner, for reminding me of what it feels like to be alive."

What could she say? He'd just given her one of the best compliments of her life. On par with that one line she heard in that movie "As Good As It Gets". Her little present, which she'd given to him with only the best intentions at heart, had been more important to him than she realized. She blinked once, trying to clear her mind and think properly of a reply. Her hand sloshed the coffee in the cup she was still holding, a single drop hitting the table with the force of a thunderclap, before setting it down. She didn't stand a chance. Kaiba was faster than she was.

His long legs carried him back to the table and he stood beside her chair, watching the shock register in her eyes. His hand grasped that small box in his pocket more tightly, carefully avoiding the golden bow that crowned it.

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know what that present meant to me. I have one of my own for you. Just for you. No one else would understand the significance of it." With that, the small box from his pocket was placed in front of her on the table, narrowly avoiding that drop of coffee. The red and green paper glittered prettily under the gold bow he had carefully placed on top. Gardner still hadn't made a move and Seto smirked, proud of himself for surprising her as she had him. "Go ahead, open it, Gardner."

In ten minutes, he'd turned her world upside down, inside out and reversed it all for good measure. Glancing up at him as he stood beside her, she saw the gentle smile on his lips and returned it. Glancing down at the present, she gave a little start. The golden bow was the exact same one that she had put on his gift. With a small gasp of delight, she grasped the small, slim box. One hand gently pulled off the golden bow that crowned the gift. Setting it off to the side, she turned the small box over, looking for the seam that held the paper on. Carefully peeling the tape away in several spots, she took the red and green paper off. A small white box now rested in her hands. With trembling fingers, she separated the top from the bottom and peered inside. The present itself was still hidden under a layer of silver tissue paper. Sighing, she pulled the edges aside and revealed what was underneath.

And gasped in surprise, her eyes wide with appreciation. "Kaiba, it's beautiful!" she exclaimed, knowing he was right. A long, delicate, silver chain rested on another layer of silver tissue paper inside the box. That wasn't the exciting part, though. The pendant on the end of that chain was what had really grasped her attention. Golden flames engulfed and surrounded a heart-shaped diamond. The light in the room was caught and reflected in the facets of the diamond and she looked up at him once more. "Thank you, Kaiba. It's wonderful. But you didn't have to get me anything, you know."

"'We're supposed to be friends, right? Well, friends get other friends presents for special occasions'. Isn't that what you told me when you barged into my office? Well turn about is fair play, Gardner." Her blue eyes sparkled merrily as she looked back down at the necklace he had spent hours designing before taking it to a custom jeweler to have it made. It was all worth it, though.

"Would you help me put it on, Kaiba? Please?" Téa asked, picking up the chain and holding it out towards him. His fingers touched hers again as he claimed possession of the chain and separated it. Her heart beat a little faster at his touch and her cheeks reddened as he moved to stand behind her chair. "Hold on, it'll be a lot easier if I'm standing. You can see better to do up that little clasp." She stood up and moved a little ways away from the table, hoping he didn't see how nervous she was all of a sudden. He moved to stand behind her and the heat she felt from him made her want to melt. His arms lifted the chain over her head and held it before her eyes.

"This would be a lot easier if you'd move your hair out of the way," he commented mildly. Control was now his as he took another small step closer to her, inhaling the soft scent of her shampoo as her hands lifted the mass of chocolate hair up into a temporary ponytail. His fingers brushed against her cheek as he brought the necklace down to rest against the fabric of the turtleneck and did up the tiny clasp. Her skin was nothing like the wrapping paper – her cheeks were much softer and warmer. "There, all done." She released her hair and he groaned silently as the silky strands caressed his fingers. It was as soft as her cheeks.

"Thanks, Kaiba," she said, noting the receding redness on his cheeks as his eyes flicked down to look at the chain encircling her neck. "How does it look?"

He swallowed once, twice before he could even look at her face. The pendant rested against the gentle swell of her... he hadn't realized how long the chain was when he'd bought it. "It looks good." He caught the flash of laughter in her eyes and knew that she knew what he'd been thinking about. He flushed slightly.

Getting a grip on himself, he asked her one of a few questions he'd been musing over since her visit. "Gardner, this may sound strange but I need to ask you something."

"Go ahead, ask away. Just let me check on the lasagna again." She turned away from their intimate little circle and sighed at the loss of the heat he radiated.

"How did you get in to my mansion that day? Roland is under strict orders to not let anyone into the house without permission, especially you and your little group of friends. How did you manage to subvert one of my most loyal employees so easily?" The answer he got was something he never expected to hear.

"Oh, that? That was the easiest part of that day, Kaiba. Roland is dating my aunt. What better way for him to score points with her than to help her niece give a certain CEO and his little brother a present for Christmas." The lasagna was fine, she decided, closing the oven door and moving to the fridge.

Silence from behind her as Kaiba just stared at her back while she pulled out some vegetables to chop up. "What did you say? Roland is dating your aunt? I never knew he had a social life. Hmmm," he replied, somewhat stunned. She was more resourceful than he'd given her credit for. That was something he hadn't expected. What other secrets was Roland hiding from him? Shrugging his shoulders, he was glad that Roland had let her in that day. "If that was the easiest part of the day, may I ask what was the hardest?" He reclaimed his coffee cup from the table and leaned against the counter once more, taking a sip of the black coffee.

She paused as she rummaged through the drawers for a knife. She really had to get the veggies chopped up for the tray. "The hardest part was working up the courage to actually go to your house and see you. I know you hate interruptions. And I really wanted to drop off Mokuba's present for him." Looking around, she realized the cutting board she needed was right behind where Kaiba was standing. "I have a question for you."

"All right, what is it?" he asked, taking another sip of the coffee. Grimace. It was getting cold. A warm-up would be good. Not just for his coffee, either, but he couldn't risk that just yet. He didn't want to be slapped into next week.

"If you're just going to stand there, do you want to chop up these vegetables for me? I could really use the help. The invitations said six but knowing Joey and his stomach, they'll be early. I've already had one early arrival today." She looked at him pointedly, eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Only if you get me a warm-up for my coffee, Gardner. Final offer." The cup was held out expectantly and he heard a hurriedly smothered laugh as she grabbed the carafe from the coffeemaker. She did make good coffee. He'd have to remember that the next time he came over here.

"Deal, Kaiba" she replied delightedly as she tipped the carafe over and filled up his cup before filling up hers where it rested on the table. Kaiba was actually going to help her. The record books were going to burst. The vegetables and knife were handed over and he started to chop them into slices with expert precision.

"Are you sure you trust me with a knife when Wheeler comes in the door and sees me here?" Kaiba quipped, knife poised over the head of broccoli he was about to decapitate. The sharp edge slid easily through the thick, green stalk, separating it from the tender bits she needed for her tray.

"Kaiba..." she said in exasperation, hiding the grin from him by opening the fridge door and pulling out the sour cream and cheese.

They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes, each occupied with the task at hand. Seto finished the mountain of vegetables she'd handed him and watched her stir the dip she was making. The look of concentration on her face was quite becoming and he wondered if she'd have that kind of a look if decided to k... bad thought. "Need help with anything else right now, Gardner?"

Will wonders never cease, Téa thought to herself. Kaiba actually volunteered to help her, no deals involved.

"No, I'm almost done here and the only thing I have left to do is make dessert. That shouldn't take too long. It's already half finished, Kaiba." The bowl of dip was wrapped in plastic and put back into the cavernous fridge. Pulling out another bowl filled with something brown, Seto made a face.

"What is that?" He couldn't keep the disgust out of his voice as he watched her take out some other ingredients from the bottomless cupboards. Whatever that mess was, it didn't look very healthy.

"It's the apples I stewed for the apple cider I made. I'm going to use them in an apple crumble recipe my aunt gave me," she replied calmly. Kaiba obviously didn't know what good cooking was all about. "I'll be finished it in a few minutes. Just have to mix in some oatmeal, brown sugar and a couple other things. Relax, it tastes good." She took a peek out the window and saw that the snow had lessened a bit. The sidewalk and walkway were going to need cleaning soon.

"The same aunt that Roland is dating?" he asked, humour colouring his tone.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Mixing and measuring the ingredients quickly, she poured the sticky mass into a baking pan before popping it into the oven next to the lasagna. He watched her movements and marveled at the efficiency with which she put everything together. It looked like she'd made the recipe a hundred times. She pulled the lasagna out and turned up the temperature on the oven to 325. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I have to go clear the walkway to the house. Don't want the guys slipping when they bring that tree over here."

"Do you want some help?" Seto surprised himself by asking. He was not one for manual labour, but since he'd volunteered to do the vegetable cutting, he couldn't stop himself. Will wonders never cease?

"What'll it cost me this time? Hot chocolate?" she asked, grinning at him as she walked past him to get to the living room.

Such an open-ended deal. There were a few things, quite a few, he wanted in return for his help and hot chocolate wasn't one of them. "We'll discuss it later. Now do you want my help or not?"

"Sure, both of us can freeze outside," she replied dryly as she pulled her coat on and grabbed a pair of mittens from the hall closet. This was going to be interesting, she thought, watching Kaiba pull on his gravity-defying coat before joining her at the front door. Never in a million years would she have expected to see Kaiba shovel snow.

To be continued...

Hope you enjoyed this installment. Fun times await our friends in the next chapter entitled "I Hate Snow." Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review. That's all for now, folks.

Aphrael21 ;)


	4. I Hate Snow!

Chapter 4 – **I Hate Snow!**

Disclaimer: Do I really have to put one up? Okay, fine. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. I just like borrowing them for a while from time to time.

Kaiba finally remembers why he hates snow but will something happen to change his mind? Are things going to heat up between them and make all that bad, nasty snow melt? Hehehehe... You'll have to read and find out!

Good thing I changed the rating on this.

Peneia Teke: Thanks for the grammatical tip. That's one of the words that just confuses me when I try to use it in the past form. It just looks **wrong**. And thanks for the definition of shipping, too.

Thanks to everyone who's stuck with this story so far and to all of you new people who've read and reviewed it. I'll try to keep it as interesting and riveting as possible. And if you haven't guessed, I like cliff-hangers.

Here we go, let the games begin!!!

"Sure, both of us can freeze outside," she replied dryly as she pulled her coat on and grabbed a pair of mittens from the hall closet. This was going to be interesting, she thought, watching Kaiba pull on his gravity-defying coat before joining her at the front door. Never in a million years would she have expected to see Kaiba shovel snow.

"Then let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can collect payment for _all_ of my hard work," he growled, unable to decide exactly what he wanted to collect from her. She just rolled her eyes at him and opened the front door. Snow was still falling and the air was cold and crisp as they stepped outside and shut the door behind them. No sense letting out all the heat while they were out there.

"Hard work? What hard work? You cut up some vegetables, Kaiba. Give me a break. That's not what I call hard work," she replied, exasperation and humour warring for control of her tone, her breath puffing out in a steaming cloud. Such a wimp. She'd done most of the hard work before he'd even shown up. Her schedule had been set up specifically to leave all of the little details until last. She had to admit, though, if he hadn't shown up when he did, she'd still be chopping vegetables. Only a molehill of work was left to finish, most of it being setting up the table, plates and silverware, compared to the mountain she'd had at 11 am.

"Really? Then what would you call it?" he asked, raising his eyebrow in that infuriatingly attractive way. The cold hid the beginnings of a blush as she looked him in the eyes for a second before replying.

"Helping out. Thanks, by the way." She led the way down the three front steps, the snow crunching under her feet, and turned to head towards the shed at the back of the house. Dad had built it only last year and stored all of his tools in it. The shovels and brooms were kept in there. That was the extent of his 'tools'. Kaiba's shoes crunched along behind her, following in her footsteps to avoid the ankle deep white stuff.

"I made a deal to help you. Same with this shovelling snow. I'm a businessman, remember?" His feet were already getting cold. The shoes he was wearing, Italian leather to be exact, were not meant to walk through this nasty, white stuff. His fingers were also going numb since he hadn't brought a pair of gloves with him. Manual labour with Gardner hadn't been on his agenda when he'd left the house earlier. Funny how he'd made sure that Mokuba had a hat, scarf, boots and mittens on before he left.

"You don't let us forget," she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear, and knew that he was smirking at her back. Something about him...she still couldn't put her finger on it. Turning at the corner of the house, she crunched along a few feet further and stopped in front of the shed. The door screeched horribly when she opened it. At least Kaiba didn't comment on that. Reaching inside, she pulled out a wide shovel and handed it back to him before getting another one for herself. "Now, I'm assuming you know how to use one of those things?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. His eyes narrowed at the smirk on her face.

"I'm not a moron," he replied, smirking back at her. He'd show her how to shovel snow. It was true, he'd never done it before but it couldn't be that hard, could it?

"Then lead on, oh great businessman," she quipped. This was going to be interesting. Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp., most academically able student at Domino High, creator of the Duel Disk System, stood in front of her holding a shovel with no gloves on in ankle deep snow. The sight was too much for her and she giggled to herself.

He watched her shoulders shake in silent mirth, clouds of steaming breath escaping from behind the mitten covering her mouth, and grimaced. He was in trouble now. "Hmmph," was all he could manage to say before setting the business end of the shovel into the pile of white stuff in front of him and pushing it forward for a foot before lifting and dumping it off to the side. It wasn't that hard at all, he thought until he heard her outright laughter behind him. "What?!"

"You're about as graceful as an elephant on rollerblades. You may be smooth when you duel but you don't know the first thing about shovelling. Watch a real pro do it, Kaiba," she managed to say between giggles. "You're doing it the hard way." The only way to learn was to demonstrate, she thought as she put her shovel into the snow beside him and pushed forward. The only difference was that she didn't stop. She just kept right on going until she was ten feet in front of him before she dumped the accumulation off to the side. "If you do it your way, it'll take you forever. My way and there's enough room to walk through without getting soaked to the skin and it's done in a lot less time."

He had to admit, if grudgingly, that she was right. Trailing his shovel behind him, his footsteps kicking up much less snow on this trip, he joined her and began the task of shovelling again from where she'd stopped. She walked around him as he pushed the snow with the thrice-damned shovel and started to clear another patch further up. Grimace. He'd just remembered why he hated this white stuff. It was cold and wet. Two of the worst feelings in the world. Except maybe hunger. As testament to his realization, his shoes were soaked through, his socks were wet and his toes were probably blue from the cold. He didn't even want to look at his hands. Sighing resignedly, he pushed some more snow out of the way and caught her looking back at him. Her cheeks were red from the cold but he thought he detected a hint of...nah, probably just his imagination. Shoulders shaking again, she bent back to her work and his eyes narrowed dangerously. She was in for it now and she didn't even know it.

Setting his shovel down very quietly, his cold hands got even colder as he picked up a handful of snow and formed it into a ball. The weather was perfect for packing it together. Taking aim, he lobbed the snowball into the air and watched in supreme amusement as it landed square in the middle of her back.

"What the...?" she thought to herself as she turned around to look at Kaiba. He was grinning in triumph. Her mouth tightened to a thin line. Oh, this meant war and if there was one thing she was good at, it was payback. But not yet. It had to be a sneak attack right when he was least expecting it. She shook her head, snow falling from her hair, and the necklace he'd given her swayed against her chest, reminding her of the touch of his hands on her cheeks. Her revenge was going to be sweet, she thought and bent back to her labour.

Amazement swept across his features. She hadn't even reacted to the snowball. Hadn't said anything to him about it either. But he'd seen her eyes flare with challenge. He'd touched something there. Chuckling to himself, he began shovelling once more, ignoring the cold in his fingers and toes.

They worked quickly and silently for a few more minutes, clearing the fallen snow from the walkways and sidewalk in front of the house. The cold air had reddened both sets of cheeks as Seto leaned on the shovel to catch his breath. Her hair was full of snow again and it glittered like a halo whenever the sun peaked out from behind the clouds for a second or two. He lost himself in a daydream about her, waiting for her to finish the last foot of the sidewalk.

Téa snuck a peak back at him; saw him just standing there with a glazed look in his eyes. Perfect. She bent over and quickly scooped up some snow into her hands. Forming a ball, she turned and threw it at his chest, knowing her aim was dead on. Target practice had always been one of her strong points in gym class.

"What the...?" Seto thought, trying to figure out why everything looked so strange. It was almost as if... no, wait, he was. The only way he could see the sky so well would be if he were on his back. Which he was, he realized a second later, feeling the cold seep through his coat. A smarting pain in his chest reminded him of what had happened. She'd thrown a snowball at him. Hard. Hard enough to knock him over. A muffled giggle came from somewhere over to his left and a sudden plan formed in his mind. This was going to be good. Very good.

"Are you okay?" Téa asked breathlessly, falling to her knees on the snow-covered ground beside him. Kaiba hadn't moved for a minute or two, ever since she'd nailed him in the chest with a snowball. Maybe he'd hit his head on the way down. "C'mon, Kaiba, say something."

Lightning quick, he snatched his opportunity for revenge, and maybe something else. Seto reached up, grasped her arms in his hands and rolled her over onto her back. Wonder how she's going to like lying in cold snow, he thought to himself, looking down at her as he straddled her across the middle. Her hair was fanned out on the snow, looking for all the world like silk on ice, her eyes were wide with surprise and her mouth, her beautiful mouth, was releasing clouds of steam as she panted under him.

"You conniving, little..." Téa gasped before being overcome by a fit of the giggles. The situation, as she saw it, was absolutely hilarious. A dishevelled looking Seto Kaiba sat atop her stomach, his knees keeping his weight off of her, his eyes filled with mischief and a devilish grin gracing his lips. That gleam in his eyes was almost irresistible when she stopped laughing a minute later and realized the position they were in.

Amazingly enough, the same thought occurred to him at the exact same moment. The devilish grin he was sporting turned very quickly into a devilish smirk as he looked down at her. He braced his hands on either side of her head and bent closer to her, his hair framing his face in a mass of messiness, ignoring the cold contact with the snow. Her eyes were so blue at that moment that he had a hard time concentrating on what he wanted to say to her. "I think I want to collect my payment for all of my hard work," Seto whispered to her provocatively. Her lips curved up at the corners and the blue of her eyes intensified.

"Really? And what do you want?" she replied simply. There was only one direction this could take considering the position they were in and the way he was looking at her. Kaiba was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"This," was all he said before capturing her lips with his. Time was put on hold and nothing else existed but the two of them. His mouth caressed hers gently, tenderly exploring every millimetre of her silken lips. Téa kissed him back eagerly as one of her hands snaked around his neck, pulling him closer to her, increasing the pressure of his velvet lips on hers. A groan escaped him at the oh-so intimate contact of flesh and she seized her chance. The tip of her tongue flicked across his lower lip before slipping into his mouth to taste and tease. His own tongue danced with hers, touching, rubbing and separating, for a moment before she allowed him to taste her mouth. The kiss continued for a long, leisurely moment before the need for a deep breath forced them apart and their lips parted company grudgingly.

"Wow," she whispered, smiling up at him. His eyes, darkened to a deep sapphire with wonder and want, regarded her wickedly. His lips curved into a grin and he laughed softly.

"I think that's the best compliment I've ever gotten. I'll consider that a tip for a job well done." He'd wanted to kiss her all week and had imagined it a hundred, no, a thousand times before. Nothing had readied him for the real thing though. Mind-blowing was the only phrase that came to mind.

A simple, wicked plan formed in her mind. Payback was always fun and revenge was a dish best served cold, as they said. "Are you sure I paid you enough? I mean I don't want you going on strike or anything like that..." she started to say, both of her hands back at her sides, palms flat to the ground. He bent closer to her, his eyes starting to close, when he felt something cold and wet smear across his face. Quick as a wink, he was on his back again as she heaved him off of her. Wet flakes of snow clung to his eyelashes and slid down his cheeks as he lay there in disbelief. A giggle to his left let him know she was still nearby.

"Gotcha!" Mirth and mischief flashed across her features as she contemplated his prone form on the ground next to her. Sitting up slowly, he couldn't help but smile, one of those rare smiles of true happiness. Her smile widened and she winked at him. Getting up quickly and moving towards the front steps, she commented, "I have to check on the apple crumble in the oven. Are you getting up or are you planning on having a nap there?"

Glancing down at where they'd just lain in the snow, he was surprised to see a few blades of still green grass poking through. Either they'd moved the snow during the kiss or else they'd melted it. Hmm, he thought to himself as he got to his feet, maybe snow wasn't so bad after all. As long as he wasn't the one on the receiving end of a snow wash. He followed her back up the three short stairs to her front door and contemplated his next move.

Payback was always fun.

To be continued...

Sorry it's a little short but I hope you enjoyed this fourth instalment of my story. Chapter five will take a bit of work since I think it's about time for the rest of the gang and Mokuba to show up for the party. Yes, they're coming early. Hmmm, what's going to happen when they see Kaiba there?

Aphrael21 ;)


	5. Hey, hey the gang's all here!

**Chapter 5: Hey, hey the gang's all here!**

Disclaimer: If you really want one, just read the first four. I'm sure it will say the same thing – I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Oh, wonder of wonders, they finally kissed. It was about time, too ;). What will happen in this chapter? How far will they take the game of revenge and payback or will they call a truce? Will they honour the truce if they call one? Where does an alarm clock fit into all of this?

Stupid question time: What is a lemon and what is a lime? Where do you draw the line? Just email an answer to me. It's on my profile page.

Thanks for all of the great reviews. I thought this was just a silly little story when I first came up with the idea after a dream I'd had but it's blooming into so much more. And I'm glad that it's not toooooo sweet.

Let the games continue...

Closing the door behind himself and taking off his coat, he saw that she'd already shed hers and gone into the kitchen. Which was just as well since he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. The only dream he'd had for almost a week had finally come true. Seto Kaiba, hormone-driven, teenage boy, had kissed Téa Gardner. The moment replayed itself continually in his mind. Touching his lips, he could still feel the ghostly press of hers against them, how soft and sweet they'd been. The wicked things her tongue had done to his then made him blush to the roots of his dishevelled mop of hair. And just as he was about to kiss her again, at her request no less, she'd given him a snow wash and escaped. He hung his coat on the banister rail that led to the basement and shook his head.

There had to be a way to get her back for that. Okay, granted, he was the one that had lobbed the first snowball but he hadn't thrown it hard enough to knock her over. Combing his wet hair into some semblance of order, he walked through the living room into the kitchen. His eyes automatically locked on her as she replaced the lasagna in the oven. A warm apple and cinnamon scent filled the air and he inhaled appreciatively. Maybe the crumble would be something fit for a human to eat after all.

She moved towards the sink and grabbed the kettle from the counter, getting ready to put it on to make hot chocolate. Kaiba may not want any in return for his help, but there was nothing better than drinking something hot and sweet after being outside in the cold. Not that it had been cold for very long. Her cheeks glowed at the memory of kissing him in the snow. She'd forgotten about the snow in the midst of his warm lips on hers. Giggles erupted once more at the look of shock on his face when she'd filled it with snow as she plugged in the water-filled appliance and turned it on. Payback was fun.

From out of nowhere, she felt a pair of hands grasp her around the waist and spin her around. Looking up, she saw amusement in his beautiful, blue eyes. The grin on his lips told her that he hadn't forgotten what she'd done to him outside just minutes ago. He moved closer to her, effectively trapping her against the counter and leaving no possibility of escape.

"That was **not** a very nice thing you did to me out there," Seto growled, enjoying the look of surprise on her face before he frowned. She should have looked just as dishevelled as he did considering what had transpired between them outside in the snow. No such luck. Perfect as always. Hell, her hair wasn't even damp. Some things just weren't fair. This was one of those things. He looked like a drowned rat and she, well, she just looked too damned irresistible.

"Revenge is best served cold, Kaiba. Do you need something to warm you up?" Téa purred softly. Her fingers itched once more to bring his hair to order. Unfortunately, this itch couldn't be scratched as his hands had hers in a firm but gentle grip. No chance of dodging him now and he looked ready to act on her earlier invitation.

"Hmm, a warm up would be nice right about now," he replied, pressing in closer to her, loving the tremble he felt course through her body.

"I've got the kettle on if you don't mind waiting a minute for hot chocolate." Her wide-eyed, innocent face didn't fool him for a second and he chuckled softly.

"Hot chocolate wasn't what I was thinking about." Seto leered playfully at her and an answering smile lit her expression. She was just as eager as he was. "And there's no snow to save you now."

"That was payback for making me think I'd hurt you with that snowball. Just be glad I didn't do it right before you'd first kissed me. And believe me, I'd been debating on it. Seriously." The quirk of her lips was enticing and he was having a hard time concentrating on anything at the moment except that he wanted to taste her once more.

"How about we call a truce? There's no sense in trying to one up each other when we have... what was it you had said to me in my office that day? Oh yes 'There are much more important things we could with our time'. What do you say, Gardner?" He looked at her expectantly for a second before his gaze was caught by something glittering around her neck. The pendant rose and fell against her as she breathed.

"On one condition," she replied, noticing where his gaze was and going crimson. Trying to control her breathing was an impossible task considering the closeness of a warm male named Seto Kaiba.

"What?" He just wished she'd agree already so they could get to the kissing part.

"Don't call me Gardner anymore. Téa will do just fine." The fingers of her hands tightened their grip on his in anticipation of what was about to come.

"Then don't call me Kaiba anymore. Just Seto. Deal?" He bent closer to her, anxious to get to the kissing once more. Her lips were so tempting and so close.

"Deal, Just Seto," she replied.

Closing the distance between them, their lips touched and met once more. Forever wouldn't be long enough to enjoy this, he thought to himself, letting his mouth roam over hers, exploring it once more. Her warm lips matched him move for move before going on to suckle tenderly at his lower lip, a soft moan echoing from deep in her throat. His tongue licked across her upper lip and she opened up for him. He swept in, tasting her again like it was the first time. Her tongue rubbed against the sensitive underside of his and he growled approval at her move. She smiled against his lips and wriggled her hands free before plunging them into his hair, pulling him closer, her fingers tangling themselves in his soft, wet hair. Now that his hands were free, he didn't know what he wanted to do with them first and settled on a compromise. One hand grasped her around the waist and the other skimmed up her back and settled into her hair. It was just like silk, smooth and flowing. The kiss continued on and on and Seto really wanted it to never end. Neither did she but it was just about time for the...

_Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz_

His lips broke away from hers suddenly. "What the hell was that?" His eyes were wide with surprise and his heart felt like it was going a million miles an hour. She released his hair and chuckled at him before pushing him away gently.

"That was the warning bell," Téa said, walking across the kitchen and turning right, heading for the stairs to go up. Seto followed her, determined to find out, and destroy, what had interrupted such a perfect moment. The stairs creaked as they ascended to the second floor. She walked into the first room on the right and made for the nightstand next to her bed, turning off the annoying buzzing. Seto gulped. He was in her bedroom. The place where she slept every night. In pyjamas. And by the looks of it, she liked to sleep in shorts and a tank top, they were spread across her pillows just waiting for her to undress... No, he couldn't go there.

"What 'warning bell'?" he asked. It was much safer to keep his eyes on her. Well, not **much** safer, but...

"I set my alarm clock for 3:30. The final stretch, the last half hour, to make sure that I have everything ready for when the gang gets here. I'm expecting the guys to show up at about 4, even though the invitations said six. And I don't have much left to do, thanks to you. Now, if you help me again, you'll find that I'll be more than willing to compensate you for your time and effort..." She trailed off at the look on his face. This was only the second time she'd caught him blushing. At least she knew he could. That information could come in handy later on.

"Only if there are no more alarm clocks set to go off in the near future," Seto replied dryly as he tried to control his blushing. That woman seemed to be in control of everything. Once, just once, he wanted to take command and not have anything, like snow or alarm clocks, intrude on them.

"Mmm no more alarm clocks, but I can hear the kettle boiling from here. Time for a hot chocolate." Brushing passed him, she left the room and headed downstairs. The sigh of frustration she heard made her giggle again. Whoever would have thought that Seto could be so easily flustered?

He followed her a second later, lost in memories of kissing her. One time, just once, he wanted to kiss her with no interruptions. And if the gang was coming over soon, including his little brother, he highly doubted he'd get another opportunity tonight. It wasn't that he wanted to keep what they'd started hidden. He just wanted it to be low key for a little while, so he could just enjoy her company without having to defend himself against her friends, especially that stupid mutt, Wheeler. Just because he'd changed his opinion of her didn't mean that all of her friends were off his bad list. Especially Wheeler. The dog couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag with a hole at either end.

The image made him smile as he walked into the kitchen and saw her pouring hot water into two mugs. She reached into a small bag beside her and added some white marshmallows, stirring them around with a spoon to heat them up. She heard him come up behind her, felt his hands at her waist once more. Her heart rate tripled again and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"So what else do you have to do before they get here, Téa," he whispered, conscious of how close he was to her, conscious of his desire to take his tongue and lick the shell of her ear from earlobe to top and back again.

"Well, I have to set the table for six, make another pot of coffee since the first one is now about an hour old, get the snacks ready and make sure the living room is ready for putting up the tree and other decorations. It should be fine, but a final check never hurt anything, Seto." She leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth he radiated and loving the way he had said her first name. If someone had told her this was going to happen, she would have laughed in their face and asked them what they'd been smoking.

His arm grasped her more tightly, enveloping her in a warm hug and the scent of his aftershave that she hadn't noticed before. He smelled delicious and she wanted to melt against him but time was of the essence right now. The faster they got it done...

"Seto, I really have to get this stuff done. If you wouldn't mind setting the table..." she started to say, pointing at the dishes and silverware that were on the counter in the far corner. He groaned once and released her. "Trust me, I'll make it worth your while."

"I'm going to keep you to that promise, Téa. A verbal agreement."

"I know, I know, you're a businessman. Binding legal agreement and all that." She grinned as she said it and he narrowed his eyes at her before rolling them. At least she had a sense of humour.

At least he had a sense of humour, she thought to herself, hearing the clink of dishes as Seto scooped them into his hands and started to set the table. The carafe was rinsed, the water was readied and another pot of coffee was started just as he finished putting out the dishes. Next came the silverware. Nice stuff, too. It looked old.

"It was my grandmother's set," she said, almost reading his mind. As he glanced at her, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, the marshmallow stuff leaving a white moustache on her upper lip that he wanted to kiss off.

About twenty minutes later, the hot chocolate was finished and everything else was done. The snacks were laid out on the coffee table, small plates and napkins set about for easy access. The cider she'd made earlier was in a pot on the stove, heating gently, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg mingling with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. The lasagna was perfect, the apple crumble was golden brown and just needed heating before topping it with the vanilla ice cream that was in the freezer. Cups and glasses sat on the end of the counter by the table and the sound of the radio playing "Holly Jolly Christmas" finished the scene beautifully.

Now all they had to do was wait for the guests to arrive. And keep their hands off of each other. Fat chance on that last one, she thought, joining Seto as he sat on the couch watching the snow fall again outside of the window. His arm wrapped around her shoulders companionably and she leaned against him comfortably. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she sighed. There was so much more she wanted to do with him but the constraints of time prevented that. Didn't stop her from thinking about it though.

"What do we do know?" he asked, sitting back and letting her lean closer to him. Her hand rested on his chest and he figured she could feel the wild beating of his heart.

"Mmm, a few ideas pop into my head but we don't have enough time to try any of them." Humour coloured her tone and a rumble in his chest let her know he was laughing, too. She wished they could stay like this all day.

**Ding dong ding dong...ding dong ding dong.**

Hey, hey the gang's all here, Seto thought sardonically. At least he'd have Mokuba here, under his watchful eye. Téa gave him a reproachful glance as she stood up and went to answer the door, making him wonder if she really could read his mind.

"Hi guys," she said brightly after opening the door. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Mokuba greeted her enthusiastically, all of their cheeks bright red from the cold. "C'mon on in. Everything's ready. All we have to do is set up the tree, decorate and eat."

"Mmm eating, dat's the part I been waitin' all day to do," Joey commented, his accent making Kaiba wince. He was the first one to step through the door and consequently, the first one to see Seto sitting on the couch. "Kaiba?! What the hell are you doin' here?"

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

See you next time in Chapter 6 entitled "Being Civil Isn't Easy".

So, how was it? I know, I know it was a little short but it was a natural ending to this chapter so I just let it be.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Aphrael21 ;)


	6. Being Civil Isn't Easy

**Chapter 6 – Being Civil Isn't Easy**

Disclaimer – Okay, just read the first five. I'm not writing them anymore.

Thanks for all of the great reviews for the first five chapters of my insane little adventure into the world of Yu-Gi-Oh.

What's going to happen now? As you recall, the gang has just arrived and Joey is not impressed to find Kaiba already there. And why is Mokuba grinning like the cat that just got the cream? Does he have a surprise in store for our new, dare I say it, "couple"? Will Yugi/Yami realize that something isn't quite right between Kaiba and Téa? Hehehehe... this and more will be answered in this chapter.

Just a quick note – if a sentence is in _italics_, and single quotes, it's Yami and Yugi talking to each other. Should be pretty clear.

- Round 2 -

"Mmm eating, dat's the part I been waitin' all day to do," Joey commented, his accent making Seto wince. He was the first one to step through the door and consequently, the first one to see Seto sitting on the couch. "Kaiba?! What the hell are **you** doin' here?"

Seto regarded him coolly from his perch on the couch before replying icily, "Watch your language, mutt." Téa could almost see the hackles on the back of Joey's neck rise in challenge. A quick glance at Seto and she could see that the mask of indifference was back up. She bit her lip in frustration. Why did Joey have to start this all up again? This was not a good way to start off a Christmas party. Tristan, Yugi and Mokuba were still outside on the front porch and were wondering what the hold up was. The tree they were carrying was big, heavy and wrapped up in rope so it was easier to manoeuvre. Well, not Mokuba. He was really too small to help carry the tree but he was grinning from ear to ear and he patted his pocket to make sure his little surprise was still there.

"C'mon, you two, can't you play nice for tonight at least? Remember, Christmas spirit, cheer and good will to all mankind," Téa persuaded, hoping that Joey would listen to reason for a change and try to control himself where Seto was concerned. No such luck, judging by the white-knuckled fist that didn't have a death grip on the rope around the tree.

"That mutt is not a man. He's just a little puppy dog that wants to play with the wolves," Seto taunted. Joey's face was getting redder and redder and a distinct growl erupted from deep in his throat, sounding for all the world like a dog ready to attack.

"Joey! Kaiba! That's enough. If either of you can't at least be civil for tonight, I'll have to ask you to leave. You know I mean it, too." Téa didn't want to use threats to make people do what she wanted but Seto wasn't going to voluntarily back down and neither was Joey. Seto shot her a look that said if she forced Joey to behave, he would too.

"Joey, what's going on? What's all the shouting about?" Yugi asked, shifting his grip on the rope that was wrapped around the tree.

"Yeah, c'mon man. This thing's big and heavy. Let's get it in there," Tristan added, sounding a little annoyed at being left out in the cold.

"A' right, let's get de tree inside. Den Kaiba can make like one 'n' leave," Joey said, his eyes still flashing angrily.

"Kaiba? What's he doing here?" Tristan asked. Obviously he hadn't heard exactly what the shouting was all about. Well, he had been too busy thinking about the way the girl at the tree stand had smiled at him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Wheeler. **I** am an invited guest." Seto's smirk grew wider as he saw comprehension finally dawn in Wheeler's eyes. Maybe there was some form of intelligence there after all.

"Téa, you didn't... didja?" Joey asked pleadingly. That's all he needed, trying to defend himself against that arrogant jerk for the rest of the night. Good way to spoil an appetite, too.

"Well, Joey, I did. I invited Kaiba and Mokuba to join us for the evening." Téa had instinctively switched back to calling him Kaiba, Seto noticed, and he heaved an inward sigh of relief. Then again, with only Joey's reactions to judge by, it might have been too much for them to handle if she'd called him 'Seto' just then. That might've opened up something neither of them were ready to deal with yet.

"If ya did invite him, den I guess I can be nice t' him for de evenin', as long as he's nice t' me!" With a humph, Joey started moving again, much to the relief of Tristan and Yugi. Mokuba trailed in behind the three older boys, still smiling, with his hand pressed against one of his coat pockets. 'This is going to be perfect,' Mokuba thought to himself. The smile faded quickly when he saw his big brother sitting on the couch. Seto could smell a plot hatching a mile away. He busied himself with closing the front door and taking off his hat, scarf, boots, mittens and coat that Seto had made him wear before he'd gotten dropped off at Yugi's.

Téa shot Seto a look that spoke volumes, namely if he didn't behave, he was going to get kicked out. Period, end of story, no room for negotiation no matter what they'd done together outside and in the kitchen. Téa's Rules were law in this house. Seto rolled his eyes and gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Spending the night being civil to Wheeler, and the "gang", wasn't going to be easy but if it made her happy... one small box in red and green paper had caused all of this to happen to him. She'd better make this worth his while, like she'd promised.

"Are you okay, Mokuba?" Seto asked, his eyes softening when he looked at his younger sibling as he wandered into the living room. That was his only weakness, or maybe his strength. Without his little brother, life would be intolerable.

"I'm fine, Seto. Just fine. I had a really good time getting the tree with Tristan, Yugi and Joey," Mokuba replied in what he hoped was a normal tone of voice. No sense letting Seto know that he'd just eaten chocolate, which he'd been told not to do since it would spoil his appetite for dinner. Seto's eyes narrowed but he didn't comment as he watched Mokuba move to stand by the window and peer outside, watching the white stuff drift down again. Something wasn't quite right but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"So, where do you want this, Téa?" Yugi asked, feeling his heart rate triple and his cheeks redden. At least the cold hid the darkening of his cheeks. In his mind, Yami chuckled knowingly. What one felt, the other one did it seemed. And they'd proven that to be true time and again, especially after the time Yugi had given himself a paper cut on one of his Duel Monster cards. Yami had mumbled about it for days afterwards. '_Quiet, Yami, or I'll force you to switch places and we'll see how **you** deal with it!_' Yugi threatened, his normally sweet voice hard with determination. Yami grew very quiet in the face of that threat. Both of them had a crush, a huge, enormous, mind-consuming crush, on the blue-eyed girl but Yami, once he'd realized how he felt about her too, was more tongue-tied in her presence now than Yugi ever was. Yami continued to watch through Yugi's eyes, having never experienced a real Christmas before.

"In the far corner of the living room, Yugi, by the front window. The tree stand is already set up. Just have to put it in and we can start decorating," Téa replied, heading further into the living room so they had enough space to bring the tree in from the front hallway. The three boys dutifully trudged into the living room behind her, after taking off their shoes of course, and carefully stood the tree upright before placing it into the heavy metal tree stand.

Seto sat on the couch still, arms crossed over his chest, not offering to help them at all. Why should he? He was an invited guest and he had already helped set up the dinner they were going to eat shortly. Putting up the tree was their responsibility. Wheeler got down on his hands and knees and started doing up the screws that would hold the trunk in place.

"Hold it still, Tristan, Yug. It's kinda hard to do dese up wit' de tree swayin' back 'n' forth like dat," Joey complained.

"Well, hurry up, Joey. The tree's not that easy to keep still when it keeps pricking my fingers," Tristan complained right back. Yugi just sighed and kept quiet, his eyes on Téa as she watched them fiddle with the tree. Something around her neck glittered and he wondered what it was and who had given it to her. A flash of jealousy came and went.

'Never kick a dog when he's down,' Seto thought to himself, watching Wheeler work under the tree. It took all of his considerable will power to resist the urge to give Wheeler said kick in the pants as Seto stood up and walked over to Téa. Standing beside her, breathing in that tantalizing smell of her shampoo, watching the pendant he'd given her twinkle around her neck, he found it much harder to resist touching her than kicking Wheeler had been. "I'm getting a cup of coffee. Do you want one?" His gravely, whiskey voice didn't betray a hint of anything he was feeling.

"Thanks, Kaiba, that sounds great. Remember how I like it?" she replied, giving him a dazzling smile. He couldn't hide what he was thinking about from her. The arch of his eyebrow was an open book. And the twitch of his fingers made her laugh softly.

"Sweet and creamy, right?" That soft, provocative tone of voice and the seductive curve of his lips was enough to make her want to throw her arms around his neck and kiss the hell out of him. But with a room full of boys that really weren't on as friendly terms with him as she was... that might be a bad idea. Neither of them noticed Mokuba smirking at them from beside the tree, his hand cradling the surprise he'd quietly transferred from his coat to his jeans. This was going to be great!

"Mmm," was all she could say in response. He laughed quietly, the sound coming from deep within his chest, and started to head into the kitchen to get their coffees.

"A coffee sounds great, Kaiba. Could ya put two sugars and some cream in mine," Joey asked as innocently as he could manage. The grin on his lips, when he peered out at them from under the tree, made his tone of voice completely unbelievable. If Téa was going to make them both behave, then Joey was going to enjoy pushing Kaiba to the limits of civility.

"I'll have to remember to put it in doggie dish for you, Wheeler," Seto commented, his voice dripping sarcasm, before he could stop himself. Niagara Falls and a stick. Impossible, remember? Silence fell across the living room at Kaiba's comment. Tristan just looked stunned and Yugi was too busy talking to Yami about Téa's necklace to have noticed what was said. Even Mokuba looked askance at his older brother.

"Ah-ah-ah, Kaiba. Dat wasn't a very nice thing t' say t' me, was it?" His voice was muffled as he was still under the tree but the glee he said that with was totally obvious.

"Now that you have to get three coffees, do you want some help?" Téa asked, her voice completely neutral but her eyes full of fire. He was in for it now. He knew exactly what it was like to be at the receiving end of her sharp-edged tongue. That was one of the things he'd liked about her in the first place. But now, with the new way things stood between them, it was going to be a whole different ball game. "I have to check on a few things in the kitchen anyways."

"Of course. It's your house." He turned back and headed through the archway into the kitchen, his back stiff with indignation. Téa followed a second later, getting ready to blast him for that comment he made to Joey. One simple thing she'd asked of him and he couldn't do it for five minutes. Okay, not a very simple thing considering the past those two shared. She was actually impressed, sort of, that they weren't at each other's throats yet. But Joey wasn't helping any either. She couldn't blame Seto for rising to the bait but he had to control himself or she would chuck him and Joey out on their ears.

_In the kitchen..._

"Seto, was what I asked of you so hard to do? Can't you be nice to him for a couple of hours?" Raising her voice wasn't going to help the situation so she had tried a different tactic. Disappointment wound through her statement and he actually felt a twinge of guilt at her words.

Grabbing three cups from the end of the counter, Seto placed them near the coffeemaker and picked up the carafe, pouring the steaming brew almost to the brim of each cup. Téa had moved to the stove to check on the cider that was still heating gently before checking on the lasagna and turning off the oven. How could he explain to her that there was something about Wheeler that he didn't like, couldn't stand, actually? Would she understand something like that? Téa was such a friendly girl that she got along with everybody – even him – and she'd probably never come across someone that just rubbed her the wrong way from the get-go. Like Wheeler did to him.

"I'm sorry, but Wheeler isn't helping the situation either. If you can control him, I'll control myself." The spoon clinked repeatedly against the side of the cup as he stirred sugar into Wheeler's cup before adding a spoonful to Téa's. He took a deep breath and held it for a second before releasing it slowly. Tonight was going to be a long night.

"All right, Seto, I'll do what I can. Just remember, if you don't hold up your end of the deal, you may be a long time collecting on our other 'binding, legal agreement'," she replied dryly. The implications of her words made him sit up and take notice. She wouldn't... would she? Looking over at her, seeing the determination in her eyes, he knew she would. "Would you like a quick refresher on what I was promising you before?"

He didn't even get a chance to respond before her hands had grabbed a hold of his shirt and her lips connected to his. The taste of the hot chocolate she'd drank a little while before still lingered on her mouth as his tongue flicked over her lips, greedily sucking on her lower lip. The kiss didn't last nearly long enough and their lips separated with an audible 'pop', but it held the promise of delights to come. All he had to do was remain civil to the mutt. Breathe deep. Exhale.

"Sorry it was so short but it was just a taste of what I promised you," she purred, smoothing down the material of his shirt where she'd grabbed it before backing away from him slowly. That hungry gleam in his eyes was too alluring and she was having a hard time controlling herself. What was the rest of the night going to be like?

"Mmm short but worth it," Seto replied, feeling his heart finally start to slow down. She poured the apple cider into a punch bowl and set it near the glasses at the end of the counter as Seto finished getting the three coffees ready. He was proud of himself, too, he hadn't done anything at all to Wheeler's to make it undrinkable, though he was still sorely tempted to spit in it. If it was the last thing he did, he was going to show himself to be a better man than that mutt could ever hope to be.

"Yours is on the counter," he said, grasping two mugs by the handles and starting to head back to the living room. She grabbed hers quickly and joined him just at the archway into the living room.

That was when the shouting started and chaos erupted.

Don't you just love cliff-hangers?

Hope you enjoyed this round. Just think, there's a lot more to come. They haven't even started the decorating yet! This is mostly a set up for what's going to happen in later chapters (in November) and the sequel that will be coming out sometime in December.

See you in Chapter 7 – When the Going Gets Tough...

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Bandgeek77 – see you at work where I can fill you in on the dish!

Aphrael21 ;)


	7. When the Going Gets Tough

**Chapter 7 – When the Going Gets Tough...**

Disclaimer: ZZZzzz ZZZzzz ZZZzzz ZZZzzz

The big question is... who will kill Joey first? Kaiba or Tristan? Tristan???! What are Yugi and Yami so engrossed about when they're talking? And why is Mokuba sneaking into the kitchen all by himself? What's he got in his pocket anyways? Will they ever get any decorating done or will it all be a disaster? And then, there's dinner...hehehe!

Stay tuned to find out... in this and the few remaining chapters to go.

And thanks for the 66 awesome reviews that I've gotten. I like reviews. They make me happy and make me write faster (hint, hint). I'm glad that you like this story so far.

Round 3 is about to start. The plot thickens.

_Meanwhile, in the living room..._

No one had really noticed that Kaiba and Téa had slipped off to the kitchen already to get coffee, except Mokuba, as they were too busy still trying to get the tree to stand up straight in the stand. Joey was still valiantly battling to tighten the six screws that would hold the tree in place. Tristan, as mentioned before, was still complaining about the pricks from the needles he was getting. Yugi just sighed and turned his attention inwards, hoping to continue to talk to Yami about the necklace he had seen around Téa's neck.

'_Yami, so what do you think? Who gave Téa that necklace? I know **I** didn't and I know **you** didn't so who could it have been? If it was Joey or Tristan, they would've told me about it...'_ Yugi asked, seeing the shadow of the Spirit materialize next to him. Yami wore a look of intense concentration, his hand cupping his chin and his eyes closed. Then he sighed.

_'I do not know, Yugi. You have asked me that question at least a hundred times since we walked in the door and I am no closer to finding an answer than you are,'_ Yami replied, his amethyst eyes opening to regard the young one whose body he shared.

_'Do you think maybe... **Kaiba**... gave it to her? I mean she somehow managed to talk him into coming here and Kaiba never joins us voluntarily, and then she smiled at him like that and he was leaning so close to her just now. Heck, he almost smiled at her and for Kaiba, that's a big thing...'_ His mind voice trailed off and he looked up again at the Spirit, hoping to see something there that would relieve his fears. Maybe Téa was somehow... involved with Kaiba which would ruin his own chances of asking her out. He'd had a crush on her for so long... at least the last three years or so but with everything that had happened to them, first Pegasus and Duellist Kingdom, second a virtual game where they'd had to rescue Kaiba, then Kaiba's Battle City where Marik tried to take over the world, that crazy virtual world with Noah, and finally Anubis, he hadn't had a chance to express how he felt to her. Didn't even know if he would have the courage to do it, should the opportunity ever present itself. Being terrified of rejection wasn't helping him either.

'_As I stated before, young one, I do not know. The only sure way to find the answer would be to ask her,'_ Yami replied, his mind voice sounding slightly annoyed, his shadow form dissolving again and returning to the puzzle, _'And I will not be the one doing the asking.'_

At that, Yugi chuckled silently, knowing the Spirit heard him. Sure enough, he heard a door slam in his mind as Yami went back to his soul room. There would be no help from him since he couldn't get two words out right in Téa's presence. And it made Yami mad to no end to know that he could conquer the worst baddies this side of the Shadow Realm and yet couldn't talk to a girl without getting tongue-tied. The only thing Yugi could do was hold onto the tree and hope that he got a moment alone with Téa sometime tonight.

"Dis is gonna be so much fun tonight, Tristan. I get t' pick on Kaiba, for a change, 'n' he has t' behave. Téa said so." Joey's muffled voice came from under the tree again.

"But you gotta be nice, too, Joey, or Téa will kick you out. She said that too, remember?" Tristan replied, deciding to hold the tree up by the rope instead of getting pricked anymore. He should have thought of that in the first place but that girl at the tree stand had a really nice smile. And he'd just been on the verge of trying to get her phone number when Joey had butted in.

"Nice, schmice. She won't kick me out..." Joey started, sounding quite confident, before Yugi interrupted.

"Remember Téa's barbecue over the summer, Joey? The one where you ate 17 hamburgers and then threw up in her mother's rosebushes? You weren't allowed here for a month after that. And it wasn't her parents who banned you..." Yugi stated, watching Tristan try to keep from bursting out laughing at the memory, and being unable to keep the mirth out of his tone. Even Yami snickered from the depths of his room in Yugi's mind.

**_Flashback – earlier in the summer..._**

_"Joey, that's like your fifteenth burger. Are you sure you can handle that much food at one sitting? I know you're a bottomless pit but that seems a little much, even for you," Téa commented, taking a sip of her lemon iced tea and looking up at the blue sky. What a beautiful day, she thought, nothing, absolutely nothing, could spoil it._

_"Seventeenth actually," Joey replied, piling on hot peppers, mustard, ketchup, onions and relish on the round meat patty in front of him. His stomach protested at the first bite, but Joey ignored it. The burgers were the best he'd ever had before. Téa really knew how to run a barbecue._

_"You're gonna make yourself sick, Joey," Tristan said, not realizing how prophetic his words were going to be. The sun beat down on them from above as they sat at the picnic table in Téa's backyard._

_"That's not a healthy way to eat. Tristan's right – you're going to get sick," Yugi added, his big amethyst eyes showing concern for the tall blonde boy. Joey loved to eat but at this point, it was just getting disgusting._

_Joey made a show of taking a huge bite of the burger, ketchup and mustard squirting out the end of it, making a beautiful red and yellow stain amidst the green grass. It was at the moment he swallowed that bite that his stomach decided it couldn't take anymore. A growling sound erupted from his middle region and his face turned a fascinating shade of green._

_"I don't feel so good," Joey mumbled, feeling his stomach start to churn faster and faster. _

_What went down..._

_Running quickly away from the table, Joey fell to his knees by Téa's mother's prize rosebushes, groaning at the pains spreading from his stomach through his chest._

_...must come up._

_And it did, all over the beautiful rosebushes that Téa lovingly trimmed and watered every week to promote perfect growth._

_"Oh, Joey, not in the roses!" Téa shrieked, her normally sweet voice turning angry at the mess she saw happening. Too late. Joey sat back on his haunches and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Looking over at his distraught friends, he grinned sheepishly._

_"Sorry 'bout dat, Téa..." Joey started to say before Téa interrupted him._

_"That's it, Joey. Get out. We warned you..." Needless to say, she was pissed. Her perfect day was absolutely spoiled now. Joey backed away from her fearfully. He'd never seen her this mad before........._

_**End flashback – back to the present...**_

"Oh, yeah. Forgot 'bout dat," Joey said, his voice a little less gleeful and his eyes a little more downcast. And it had been a good party up until that point. Too bad that Téa had really liked those rosebushes, since they had died a week later.

Mokuba, bored with looking out the window and unable to put his plan into action yet, wandered over from the window towards the three older boys. "Do you guys need some help with the tree. It seems to be taking you a long time to do up a few screws," Mokuba asked, finding the need for something to do besides stare out the window. The sugar rush was about to kick in from the chocolate bar that he'd eaten on the way here. He had seen Seto and Téa walk into the kitchen together and it really made him wonder if there was something else going on besides the business of checking on dinner and getting coffees ready. The thought filled him with glee. The chocolate was already having some effect on him and he started to grin, one would say almost maniacally.

His big brother thought he didn't know the 'real' reason he'd come here to see Téa. It wasn't just a 'Thank-you'. That was an excuse. The look he'd seen in Seto's eyes, and the faintest blush on his cheeks when he'd asked Mokuba if he wanted to go to a Christmas party, had betrayed him. Mokuba was quite adept at reading Seto's moods and thoughts just from a single look. And that look had said that Téa had caught his interest. And when something, or in this case someone, caught Seto's interest, he pursued it.

"We got it unda' control, Mokuba," Joey said, standing up and dusting off his hands and knees. The tree was finally upright and fairly stable. All that was left to do was unwrap the rope...

This, of course, was the exact moment when Seto and Téa walked back into the living room from the kitchen, holding steaming cups of coffee in their hands.

THWACK!!

...followed by...

"OW!! JOEY!! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?" Tristan hollered at the top of his lungs, his needle pricked hand flying up to his nose, a nose now laced with bright red scratches from the limb that had unexpectedly popped out and slammed into Tristan's face. Yugi was jerked to awareness and hurriedly stepped between the two boys. An almost comical, murderous rage filled Tristan's eyes and he looked ready, willing and very able to pummel Joey into a pulp.

"Sorry, Tristan. It was an accident..." Joey started to say as he backed away. Tristan was walking forward, step by menacing step, with Yugi vainly trying to hold the older and heavier boy back by the arm.

"Accident my..." Tristan growled loudly before Yugi, ever the peacemaker between the two, interrupted.

"Tristan, Joey, stop it. It was an accident. Don't do something you're going to regret later." Yugi's voice sounded a little desperate and Yami had emerged from his soul room, ready to jump in should his light need help keeping the two apart. Mokuba stood back, wide-eyed at the scene playing out before him. He wasn't stupid enough to get between those two but he couldn't keep the grin off his face, either. Something to do with chocolate. And the possibility of seeing blood...

"He's just jealous cuz the girl at the tree stand liked me better than him!!" Tristan's face was bright red by this point and Joey was putting on his best disarming smile, even as he was still backing away.

"Hmm, maybe the girl had some sense. After all, who wouldn't prefer a retriever to a mutt," Seto said quietly, damning his mouth the minute the words left it. If Téa's looks could kill, Seto would be 6 feet under in record time. At least Wheeler and his friend hadn't heard him or who knew what kind of chaos would have really erupted. Three-ring circus, probably. He took a sip of the steaming liquid, trying to keep his mouth occupied.

"What are you talking about, Tris? What girl at the tree stand?" Joey was backing up fast now, the murderous rage he saw in his friend's eyes actually scaring him almost as badly as when Téa had yelled at him at the barbecue. Unfortunately, Joey couldn't see behind himself and apparently didn't realize how close he was to the snack-laden coffee table.

CRASH!! BANG!! SMASH!!

SPLAT!!

"What the..." Joey started, looking up at the ceiling and wondering, for all the world, why he was looking at it in the first place. The pain in his back should have told him, since he'd crashed backwards over the coffee table and landed right in the middle of the vegetables that Kaiba had just chopped that afternoon.

The whole scene was just too much for everyone, even Tristan, to handle. A moment of silence filled the air except for the wet splat of falling slices of tomatoes to the carpet below before being completely shattered by peals of laughter.

"Hey, I coulda been seriously hurt..." Joey started before realizing that the situation had stopped Tristan in his tracks. A grin broke out over Joey's face and his hand reached up to scratch his head, making a precariously balanced slice of pepper fall to the floor to join its tomato comrades.

"It's... payback for... the tree limb...you... goofball," Tristan somehow managed to say between spurts of laughter. He was holding his sides to keep from laughing too hard at his best friend as he tried to sit up before his hand slipped on a carrot and down he went again. Groan.

"At least we know he can roll over. Now can he play dead?" Seto murmured to no one in particular, trying to keep his voice low pitched. Even Téa couldn't fault him for that one. Joey did look highly amusing in the middle of slices of green pepper, cucumber, celery, carrots, tomatoes and broccoli. At least he'd still been wearing his coat so his clothes weren't filthy since Téa was pretty sure she had nothing in her closet that would fit him.

"Joey, you've had worse falls off your bike riding to school. This one was just funnier than most," Yugi said, giggling delightedly, hearing Yami laugh inside his soul room, as he watched through his light's eyes.

Tristan walked over, still laughing, and offered Joey a hand up, which he accepted gratefully since his second attempt at extricating himself had been foiled by a piece of cucumber, sending yet more vegetables splatting to the floor. Once he was upright, he took off his vegetable encrusted coat and rolled it up into a ball. Tristan and Yugi followed suit and took off their coats, which they promptly threw at Joey. That renewed the giggles around the room. Even Seto was smiling, if that thin-lipped line could be called a smile. Téa glanced up at him and saw the laughter dancing in his eyes. Hmm, maybe he really wasn't an ice-god after all.

"Umm, Téa? Ya gotta broom or sumpthin' dat I can use t' clean dis up wit'?" Joey asked sheepishly. He hated being made a fool of in front of Kaiba, but so far he hadn't said anything at all. Not that he'd heard anyways.

"Yeah, sure. In the hall closet, upstairs. Help yourself, Joey." She couldn't stop snickering as he walked passed her, dropping the collection of coats off on the banister, and headed up the stairs since he still had some celery stuck in that blonde mop of his.

"Well, let's leave Joey to the cleaning up of this mess and start decorating the tree," Téa announced, moving towards the couch where the boxes of decorations were stashed beside it. Joey's klutziness was legendary and she'd been prepared for anything. Almost anyways.

No one noticed Mokuba inching towards the kitchen, holding his hand over his jeans pocket as if his life depended on it. Somehow, he avoided Seto's radar and slipped quietly into the kitchen, pulling his surprise out of his pocket. Now all he needed was a chair and a couple minutes alone and the stage would be set.

Yes, the grin he was sporting was truly maniacal.

-Round 3 complete-

Hope you enjoyed this little slice of the whole. What's next on the agenda?? Well, chapter 8 should reveal what Mokuba has been hiding. It might even reveal to everyone what's really going on between Seto and Téa. Maybe. Might save that til a later chapter. It has to happen sooner or later. Depends on how evil I'm feeling when I start writing.

And I usually feel really evil!!

PS: I'll give you a cookie if you can figure out what Mokuba has in his pocket.

Aphrael21 ;)


	8. The Tough Hang Christmas Lights!

**Chapter 8 - ...the Tough Hang Christmas Lights**

Dis..whatisthatagaincuziforgotanddon'tremember...claimer: ????? Oh and I don't own any of the songs that I keep mentioning in this story.

As you may recall, hopefully with some giggles or at least a smile, Joey had fallen onto the vegetable tray and was getting a broom to clean up. The rest of the gang were just about to start decorating the tree that had inadvertently given Tristan some nice scratches. And Mokuba was heading for the kitchen all by himself. And he needed a chair. What was the sugar-hyped kid up to???

Mwahahahaha, we shall soon find out...

And if you like my story, please tell your friends to read it. I like reviews. They're my bread and butter that make me continue on with this crazy little story.

A final note. If you want to know what's happening with the story, check out my profile page. I update it almost daily.

On Dragon! On Dancer!

On Mutt! On Retriever!

On Shrimp! On Spirit!

Let's get the decorating done.

Don't forget the wild child with the smile...

Round 4

Joey grumbled to himself as he started to gather the vegetables onto the dustpan with the broom he'd found in the upstairs hall closet, just where Téa had said it would be. The humour of the situation got to him again and he snickered to himself as he stopped for a moment and watched everyone, except Mr. I'mTooGoodToDoThisKindOfThing Kaiba, start digging into the boxes she had pulled out from beside the couch. Strings of lights, boxes of bulbs, window clings, and cans of fake snow, garland, tinsel and a whole assortment of Christmas figures piled up around the tree and under the front window. This was going to be a lot of fun, he decided, once he was finished getting rid of the mess he'd made when he'd inadvertently fallen onto the coffee table. He was also the only one who spotted Mokuba coming out of the kitchen, his grin big enough to light the Christmas tree all by itself.

"Hey, Mokuba. Lookin' for sumpthin'?" Joey asked, pausing in his clean up of assorted, cut-up vegetables.

Mokuba thought fast. It wouldn't do to have his surprise spoiled just yet. "Yeah, actually. Where's the bathroom. I thought it was through there..." Good cover, he congratulated himself, trying to wipe the smile off his face.

"Oh, it's down dat hall, last door on de right. Are ya havin' fun here?" Mokuba just grinned at him before he turned away and dashed off down the hallway. Guess dat was his answer, Joey thought, picking up the dustpan and carrying it to the kitchen to throw in the trash. The difference between the two Kaiba brothers was extraordinary. Mokuba was as sunny as Kaiba was icy. Although, tonight for some reason, he seemed different somehow, in a way that Joey couldn't quite put his finger on. Why was he worrying about Kaiba anyways? Shrugging his shoulders, he walked out of the kitchen. Now that the mess was cleaned up, he could join everyone as they started to decorate Téa's living room.

"So what's de plan?" Joey asked, joining the small group of people as they stood by the tree, fixing the branches to make them look 'perfect'.

"Well, just like the last time we had a Christmas party, you know, before all of that crazy stuff happened to us, Joey, you and Tristan get to put up the lights on the outside of the house. You know, around the doors and windows out front. Yugi and Mokuba are going to hang the bulbs on the tree and Kaiba and I are going to decorate the windows from the inside." She thought the arrangement perfect. No one would say anything if the two of them were having a little conversation as they worked. As an added bonus, it kept Joey and Kaiba separated by a thick wall and windows. No chance of the two of them getting into a spat over something and forcing her to kick them out. She still had to get Joey back for the way he'd phrased his coffee order. Or she could just consider his fall in the vegetables as enough?

"By the way, where is my little brother? I haven't seen him for a while, ever since we went into the kitchen. He's up to something, that kid. I know he is," Seto told her softly, leaning closer to her and inhaling that scent of shampoo once more. He was going to have to buy a bottle, or the company, just so he could smell it whenever he wanted. Yugi saw the exchange and that flash of jealousy came and went again, not as strongly as before though.

"I think he went to the bathroom. I saw him wander down that hallway." Téa wished she could just wrap her arms around him and lean her head on his chest, just for a second. That aftershave he was wearing was doing a number on her senses and all she could think about was him, lathered up and shaving in a steamy bathroom with nothing on but a... Stop it... bad Téa, she reprimanded herself, think about something else.

A little louder, she called to everyone, "There's hot cider in the kitchen if you want to grab a mugful before you start working. You all know your assignments. And once the decorating's done, we eat!"

Murmured agreements, and Joey's whoop of joy, reached her ears and she and Seto turned to head back to the kitchen they had only vacated a few minutes before. The cups of coffee were still sitting on the end table, quickly forgotten in the rush for cider, and safely out of the way should any other... accidents... happen. The radio, she noticed absently, was now playing "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". Mokuba joined them a second later, coming down the hallway and meeting them at the archway. He was smiling. Why, she had no idea, but he was happy so she let him be. Seto just narrowed his eyes at his little brother. Mokuba put on his best 'innocent angel' expression and went into the kitchen ahead of them, grabbing a seat at the kitchen table. Everything was going according to plan, now he just had to wait.

The cider on the counter was generously distributed to everyone, mugs still steaming, and the hint of cinnamon in the air just added to the Christmas atmosphere they were about to create with the tree and lights. The four friends stood close to the oven, chatting idly amongst themselves, with Téa once in while smacking Joey's hand to keep him out of the crumble that rested on its surface. Nothing more than murmurs, and an occasional laugh, escaped the tight-knit little group for few minutes but Téa threw a glance over her shoulder at Seto, on the pretext of adjusting her hair, and gave him a quick smile, letting him know that she was still thinking about him. The smallest twinkle in his cerulean eyes let her know he was feeling the same way.

She just wished that he could join the group without raising too many protests. 'Soon,' she thought, 'he'll be part of the group and they'll just have to accept it.' Seto was such a lone wolf. He did everything on his own – take care of his brother, run his company, do his homework, eat lunch at school. And that she'd somehow managed to melt a hole through that wall of ice and sarcasm he'd built around himself honoured her greatly. All it had taken was one, **honest** token of friendship. Glancing down, she saw his belt buckle glitter silver in the light from the lamp and blushed slightly. She wondered where her other present to him was stashed. Knowing Seto, it was close at hand. He never went anywhere without being prepared for a duel. Fingering the flame-and-diamond pendant around her neck, she took a sip of cider and sighed softly.

Seto had taken over his favourite spot at the counter and just sipped slowly at his cider, watching Téa and her friends chat idly for a few minutes before the work got started. An occasional smacking sound let him know that Wheeler was still trying to eat the crumble. The mutt and his stomach. He watched the group in silence. Maybe one day he'd be accepted into that group as one of them. Hopefully as her boyfriend and maybe later as her... no he didn't want to think about that yet. Too far into the future. Yugi would accept him as a friend as readily as Téa had but Taylor and the mutt would be a whole other story. Her silken wave of chocolate hair flowed over her shoulders and the smile she sent his way made his toes curl. He watched her eyes flick down and knew, somehow, that she was wondering where the rest of her present to him was. The duelling case was currently stashed in his coat pocket, his duelling deck nestled in the blue velvet interior, just in case he got the chance to face Yugi again in a duel. But beating him was no longer as high on his priority list as it had been before. He had more important things to do with his time now. Somehow, he managed to suppress the laugh that was desperately trying to escape at that last thought. Hopefully, she caught the twinkle in his eyes. And he watched with jealousy and envy as her lips connected with the mug and she took a sip of cider.

Téa Gardner. He almost shook his head in disbelief. If someone had told him he'd start something with her today, he would have laughed in their face before firing them and asking what they'd been smoking to make them hallucinate such a crazy thing. The perky cheerleader and the cold-hearted bastard. But what a pair they made. She may not have seemed it on the surface, but she was a lot like him. They both liked to take control of situations. That made him think for a moment. What if she had somehow set Roland up with her aunt in anticipation of...? No way, that was too devious, even for her to come up with. The snow wash then quickly popped into his head and he looked down at his socks, hiding the grin that crept across his lips. And her poor, little friends didn't even grasp how much control she had over them. She was the force behind everything. Take the Christmas party for example. She was the one who had organized the whole thing, made the food and assigned everyone their 'duties'. Hell, she'd even managed to get **him** to come here. He was ready to bow down to a master strategist and hope that she never took up Duel Monsters seriously.

Seto turned towards his little brother and noticed 'the look' Mokuba had on his little cherubic face. That was not a good sign. He knew his little brother had been planning something. And the last time Seto had seen that 'look', he'd ended up wearing a bottle's worth of blue dish soap on his head. Don't ask. It wasn't a pretty picture. Funny, but not pretty in the slightest.

Mokuba glanced up and noticed that his surprise was still in place, attached to the light fixture that hung in the middle of the room. It wouldn't do to spoil the surprise before the time was right. And he really only wanted two people to stand under it. His brother had already walked under it once. He just needed him and her to walk under it together.

Now he just had to wait for his intended victims to approach. Even if it meant waiting all night.

Seto glanced up himself, quickly, and spied what Mokuba had attached to the light. He had to give the kid credit, it was almost hidden from sight. What had given his little brother this idea? Why would he hang **mistletoe** in the middle of Téa's kitchen... Damn. One way or another, his devious, cunning little brother had found out about his little, more than a little, crush on Téa. Seto almost smirked to himself. He'd underestimated his little brother this time and found that he was proud of the little, black-haired rascal for doing it. Seto might even be able to make use of it later on, once he got Téa alone in the kitchen that was. Maybe once the decorating got under way, he'd be able to get her in here under some pretence or another. The strain of not being close to her, touching her or hearing her talk and laugh, was getting to him. And that little kiss they'd shared in kitchen a while ago was definitely not going to be enough to sustain him until everyone left. Taking a sip of his cider, he saw that the little group had broken up.

"Okay, guys, it's time to get to work. Joey and Tristan, you two can head outside once you've grabbed the lights from the living room. If you need a ladder, there's one next to the garage in the back. Same place it always is. Yugi, you and Mokuba can start with the tree decorations. Just grab a chair from the kitchen, if you need it, to put the star on top. Kaiba and I will start with the window clings and fake snow. Now, any questions?" Téa asked, eyeing the group before her. Seto had moved closer and Mokuba had left his perch at the kitchen table, vibrating slightly from all of the sugar rushing in his system.

Joey glanced over at Kaiba and grimaced. "Kaiba gets t' stay inside where it's nice 'n' warm. He should be de one goin' outside. He probably wouldn't even feel de cold... human popsicle..." Joey grumbled, almost under his breath, as he headed for the living room. Seto's normally frosty stare turned ice cold and his mouth opened, a biting remark ready to spill forth. Téa heard him, though, and quick as a wink, Joey's left ear was between her thumb and index finger and she was pulling him lower, down to her level. Not gently either.

"What did you say, Joey?" she growled and Joey whimpered at the anger he saw starting to build in her eyes and the pinch his ear was getting. The rest of the gang turned and watched the amusing sight before them. Joey was about to get his ass proverbially whooped by Téa. As usual.

"N..n..nothing, Téa. Jus' can't wait t' get outside 'n' hang dem lights wit' my good ole buddy, Tristan," he replied, praying that she would let go of his ear soon. What was with her today? Okay it was true, she had told him to behave and play nice with Kaiba, KAIBA!, but he hadn't said anything that bad. Kaiba had gotten away with calling him a mutt and a puppy dog in less than two minutes and SHE hadn't grabbed his ear. Something fishy was going on here...

"Good. And just remember, Joey, I think payback's are fun. I won't just kick you out. Remember what I did to you after my barbecue this summer, after the rosebushes died? One more crack like that last one and you'll find that that had been a picnic compared to what I'll make you do this time." Téa left her threat hanging in the air between them as she released the death grip she had on his ear. Everyone else was grinning widely, well Kaiba was smirking, and two others in particular remembered exactly what she had forced Joey to do after he threw up in her rosebushes. And it hadn't been pretty. Funny, hilarious even, but not pretty in the slightest at least not from Joey's point of view.

"Okay, okay. You've made ya point. C'mon Tristan. Let's go get dem lights up." Tristan went to grab the lights from the living room and Joey grabbed the coats from the banister leading upstairs, making sure his coat stayed wrapped up. There were probably still vegetables clinging to it. He'd shake it outside to get rid of them. Joey and Tristan put on their shoes and they both went outside, Joey surreptitiously rubbing at his still red ear.

Téa stopped and turned the radio up. The music would hopefully put everyone into a Christmas mood. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" came on and she started to hum along softly. Yugi and Mokuba enthusiastically dove into the piles of boxes of bulbs as Seto and Téa picked up the cans of fake snow and clings and moved them closer to the window.

Glancing at her, Yugi could see a smile playing around her lips and he wondered what the cause of it was. Could it be because of Kaiba? The only girl he'd ever had a crush on quite possibly had a crush on the elder Kaiba brother. Kaiba had to be the one who'd given her the necklace. Flames surrounding a heart-shaped diamond. Fire and ice together. That didn't sound like something her parents would have given her. It had to have been **him**. And his own heart started to break a little at the thought. Yami could offer no words of comfort, since Yugi's heart was his as well. Yugi simply sighed a little and went back to the task of putting up bulbs on the tree, putting thoughts of Téa out of his mind. If that was where her heart was, so be it. As long as she was happy, he would be happy, too.

Looking over at Yugi, her best friend for the last 10 years or so, she saw him sigh dejectedly. What was he so sad about? Today should be a happy day. Friends were all together and decorating for Christmas. There was actually snow on the ground this year. And Christmas Eve was only four days away. Shaking her head, she turned back to the job at hand and started to sort through the window clings her parents had accumulated over the past decade or so.

Seto knelt down next to her. "So what do you want to do first?" If that wasn't a loaded question... his tone of voice didn't help any either. A thousand images flew through her mind but her voice was steady and her cheeks betrayed nothing, for a change. Why did he have to ask something like that? That infuriatingly attractive eyebrow was arched at her again when she answered his question.

"Well, um, do you want to pick out some things to put on the window? Then we can spray the snow on afterwards." She was so proud of herself. Her voice didn't crack once when she said that.

"Sounds good to me but I wish there were 'other' things we could do first," he whispered to her, his hand brushing lightly over the open palm of hers as he reached for one of the window clings. Electric tingles raced up from the base of her spine, rendering her speechless for a second. Every time he got this close to her, the intensity of the tension between them grew just that much more. Her teeth caught her lower lip, biting down gently, to stop herself from attacking his mouth with hers. Breathe in. Breathe out. Well, if that was the way he wanted to play, she'd show him a thing or two about teasing.

He watched her slowly lick her lips, first the top one and then the bottom one, and knew that was one move that was going to haunt his dreams for a very long time. That small pink tongue was doing exactly what he wanted to be the one doing right now. A deep breath calmed him down momentarily. Seto picked up the first window cling his fingers grabbed and stuck it haphazardly on the window. It happened to be one of Santa Claus carrying his sack of goodies and it was all crooked since his eyes were still riveted on her mouth as her tongue continued its journey once more.

"Stop that," he growled softly, conscious of the presence of Yugi and his little brother not ten feet away.

"Stop what? My lips are a little dry," she purred as innocently as she could manage through the smile on her lips. It was nice to know that she could affect him as much as he could affect her. Highly... entertaining. If he wanted to play dirty, so would she. Picking up another cling, she deliberately broke eye contact with him – his eyes, her lips – and smoothed it onto the window before fixing the one he had just put there.

The eyes that had so recently been entranced turned skyward. Seto prayed to whatever Higher Power there was above to give him the strength to keep from tackling her to the ground right now and putting his mouth where her tongue had just been.

It was going to be a long, hard, frustrating night. And it had only just begun.

**Round 4 – complete**

------------------------------------------------

I had to get this chapter done. I needed to build the suspense for Chapter 9. Who will "crack first"? Seto or Téa? Will Joey have his suspicions confirmed? Stay tuned for Chapter 9 – "If you can't take the heat..."

Isn't Mokuba a devious little scamp, bringing mistletoe with him??

Cookies go out to:

Twilight eyes 8120

Lilagirl

Vaz1201 and Demona

Darkarcticfox

Blue eyes baby

Winterwing3000

Bandgeek77

Julie Feinstein

Peeps

Sorry bandgeek77, I was going to go on with what I was telling you earlier at work tonight, but I just couldn't do it. I have so much planned for chapter 9.

And I apologize if it's a little sappy or sad. I had to throw in that part with Yugi. Don't want to get too complicated here. Just a little, fluffy, sweet story.


	9. If You Can't Take the Heat

**Chapter 9 – If you can't take the heat...**

Dis... whatever. So sue me for not writing one. You won't get anything more than a few Yu-Gi-Oh calendars and pencils if you do. I still don't own it.

Oh, things are starting to heat up between our favourite friends. Who will crack under the pressure first?  Hehehe... we shall soon find out...

Warning: There is a bit of an intense scene coming up. It's, well, a **little** explicit for younger readers.

Thanks for all of the encouraging words you folks have written in your reviews. I totally appreciate them!! Chocolate chip muffins for everyone... yippee! Chocolate rocks!

Yay! I've reached 101 reviews! A milestone for me.

**Round 5 begins now...**

She saw his eyes roll skyward and watched his lips move silently. It looked like he was praying. What was he praying for, she wondered and knew the answer to her question already. Strength, to resist her teasing. And she hadn't even scratched the surface of what she was capable of. He had brought all of this down upon himself, the poor guy. Maybe she should give him a break... but where would the fun be in that? It would make his collection on their 'binding legal agreement' just that much more satisfying. She smiled to herself and moved to stick another cling on the window as Seto finished his 'prayer'.

His eyes focussed on her once more a second later and he inhaled sharply. The long, lean line of her body, encased in that form-hugging red turtleneck and snug blue jeans, was displayed before him as she reached up and smoothed another cling onto the window. The pendant around her neck glittered prettily, the one he'd given her, as it swayed back and forth, and he was caught in the mesmerizing spell of it, much as a cat is entranced by a ribbon twitched in front of it. At least he wasn't sweating. Yet. But he had to get her alone in the kitchen or the bathroom or somewhere or he was, to put it simply, not going to survive tonight. He had to get a hold of himself for now. A small groan escaped through his lips and she looked over at him. She had beautiful eyes, so warm and blue...

He had to break the silence between them or all he was going to do was stare at her for the rest of the night. And that smile on her lips, her gorgeous, succulent, utterly kissable lips, told him that she knew exactly what she was doing to him. So intent was he on trying to find something to say to her that a hard knock on the window startled him. Grimace. It was just the mutt and the retriever waving insanely at Téa and making goofy faces. Those two at least distracted her from tormenting him further, for a minute or two anyways, and gave him time to think.

Waving at Joey and Tristan one last time, she glanced down again at Seto. He was sorting through the 4 inch stack of clings, intent on finding something in the pile. Pulling one out, he stood up, positioning himself so close to her that their hips and shoulders threatened to touch. The image of Seto lathered up in a steamy bathroom and the **heat** she felt radiating from him made the temperature in the room shoot up by about a million degrees. Fanning herself with her hand, hoping to dispel that mind-blowing image, she saw that eyebrow arch again. So, he was going to play dirty after all. His hands moved to place the cling, a brown haired angel, on the window and smoothed it on slowly, his fingers splayed out with one tracing the curve of the innocent smile the angel bore.

His piercing blue eyes looked into hers and she unconsciously ran a finger over her own lips, remembering the sweet, intoxicating press of his on hers. A burning glow started in her stomach and spread throughout her system until her fingers tingled as well. And he wasn't even touching her. What would happen if he were to put his hands on her...

"This is what you aren't," he whispered softly, his lips sporting the mischievous grin that she found so devastating. "You're playing with fire..."

"If **you** can't take the heat..." she murmured, her mouth curving up into a wicked smile. That naughty look was taunting her to do something else to him, something she found extremely enticing. But with Yugi and Mokuba discussing Duel Monster strategies as they hung Christmas bulbs on the tree and Joey and Tristan right outside the window stringing lights across it, there wasn't anything she could do except...

Kneeling down once more, she searched through the pile of clings herself. There was one there, if she remembered correctly, that would be just perfect. Finally, the second last one was the one she wanted. Standing up and moving around Seto, letting her fingers trail across the back of his shirt and feeling his muscles tense at that small contact, she smoothed another cling to the window. This was another Santa Claus one but he was peering at a list of names. One side said 'Nice' and the other said 'Naughty'. Seto's eyebrows rose as she pointed to the 'Naughty' side. The song on the radio switched to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Fitting tune for what was happening between them.

"This is what you are," she whispered softly, her tone full of amusement as she tapped on that side of the list. "Santa's not going to bring you any presents at all because you've been very naughty." That sly look was just too much for him and he snickered out loud.

Mokuba looked over and saw the smile on his big brother's face. That one look was enough to tell him that he was having a good time and enjoying Téa's company. Now if those two would just head towards the kitchen... then Yugi asked him his opinion on what was the best flip effect monster and he lost his train of thought. Mokuba had the attention span of a goldfish when he was on a sugar high.

"**I'm** the naughty one? I didn't start this whole teasing thing," Seto said, his voice low enough that only she could hear him. It wouldn't do to confirm Mokuba's suspicions just yet.

"Yes, you did," she replied just as softly as she put a candy cane cling on the window. The smell of his aftershave had gotten stronger so she knew he was standing right next to her.

"I believe you were the one that gave me the snow wash outside in the snow." How could she have forgotten that so quickly? The moment that preceded that cold, wet smear had been the sweetest of his life.

"Oh no, we called a truce after that remember? In the kitchen? We decided there were more important things to do with our time than to try and plot revenge, Seto," she hissed playfully, drawing out the 'S' in his name. How could he have forgotten so quickly? The moment that followed their truce agreement had been the second sweetest of her life.

"Then why are we teasing the hell out of each other and driving ourselves crazy? Why don't we go find a quiet, little corner and, for lack of a better way to phrase it, enjoy each other?" he asked, managing to somehow keep the pleading note out of his voice as he stuck up the last cling. There, the window was finished. And the only other thing on his mind was getting her under that damned mistletoe. Then she'd **have** to kiss him. Tradition demanded it.

"In case you haven't noticed, there are a few other people around that might object to that, should they catch us that is. You know how some of them feel about you," Téa responded before stepping back to view the window from a different angle. All in all, they hadn't done a bad job, considering all of the teasing and touching that had been going on. Now they just had the snow left to put on. That was the fun part.

"I don't care if they object to it. In fact, the only reason my lips aren't connected to yours right now, in the middle of this living room with all of your little friends looking on, is that my 11-year old little brother is standing less than 10 feet away from us." That little, mistletoe-hanging mischief-maker would only be too delighted to see his big brother kiss Téa right now, Seto thought. He didn't really want an audience for what he had in mind either.

Wow, she thought, the ardour in his voice making her heart beat wildly. Maybe she would reconsider and let him off the hook. "How about we finish the window first? Then maybe I can find us a 'quiet, little corner' somewhere. But you have to be good. Santa doesn't give presents to naughty CEO's."

His eyes narrowed slightly and he thought about it. What did she mean by 'be good'? No more teasing? That would be something he could live without for the next few minutes. She already had him on the verge of kissing her, even if his little brother was present. And the promise of the quiet little corner was enough for him, for now. Maybe later, he'd ... no he couldn't think about that just yet.

"Deal," Seto replied. That glimmer of amusement in her eyes set him on fire. Why couldn't they find that quiet, little corner right now?

Mokuba walked over a second later and looked at Téa, smiling innocently. "Téa, can I have something cold to drink? It's really warm in here." If only he knew what his big brother and her had just agreed to, she thought. And yes, it was a little warm in the living room.

"Sure, Mokuba. Hey, Yugi, can you show Mokuba where the sodas are downstairs? You know where they are, right?" Téa looked over at Yugi and saw him nod in agreement.

"Yeah, c'mon Mokuba. I think I could use something cold right about now, too," Yugi replied, leading the black-haired boy towards the stairs to the basement. Those two would be gone for a while. Yami had a serious fascination with pop and all the flavours it came in. One day, Yugi told him to decide which flavour they had to drink and it took him a half hour to make up his mind between Pepsi and Coke.

"All right, all we have left to do for now is put the snow on the windows. The rest of the decorating can wait until after dinner or even tomorrow. As long as the majority of it's done before the Christmas Eve sleepover..." Téa started to say as she handed a can of fake snow to Seto. A quick glance out the window showed that the sun was already well on its' way to setting for the night.

"What? Christmas Eve sleepover?" Now what was she talking about? Why hadn't she mentioned this before.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Ever since we were little, Yugi and I have had a sleepover on Christmas Eve so that we could wake up and open presents together. When Joey and Tristan came along, the tradition changed and they got included, too. And now, considering what's between us, I'll be forced to have you join us this year, too." The mock misery in her voice made him smile. So that's what a Christmas Eve sleepover was. Waking up next to her on Christmas morning was something he would dearly love to do. One precious box wrapped in red and green paper had skewed his entire world, for the better though, he thought as he took a sip of his reclaimed mug of cider. That mess of apples was tastier than he thought it would be. Now he just had to worry about what dessert tasted like.

"Hmm, sounds interesting. I presume you won't be serving Dieter's Nightmare Lasagna for breakfast?" He took the lid off of the can of snow and pointed it at the window. The mutt's face was clearly visible as he handed the retriever another string of lights to line the bottom of the window. Pushing down the little button, he was supremely disappointed when nothing came out. Shaking the can, he aimed and depressed that white button once more. Again, nothing came out except a dribble of white stuff. Now he was getting sorely vexed. Twice he'd missed his chance to nail the mutt, even if it was only for pretend. He peered intently at the opening of the little button, where the stuff was supposed to come out of, wondering if it was blocked up. Somehow or other, it wasn't working and he was bound and determined to change that.

Téa looked over from her side of the window, where she'd sprayed a line of snow on the bottom of it to look like a snowdrift, ready to answer his question with a retort of her own and watched the scene unfold before her in slow motion. There was no way she could have stopped it from happening. As Seto examined the can of snow, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with it, his frustration got the better of him. Unfortunately, when he got this way, his fingers and hands had a tendency to tense up. And his finger was still on that little white button.

"Aaah," Seto yelped, his hand flying up to his face as white stuff sprayed out of the can. Now it had decided to work. Téa couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Seto wiping fake snow off his cheek. At least he'd had enough time to close his eyes before the stuff hit. She laughed even harder when she remembered his earlier encounter with a snow wash. If looks could kill, Seto thought to himself before he grinned. At least the mutt and the retriever had moved out of the window, he noticed when he took a glance outside. Téa was the only witness to his humiliation.

"Hahaha, that's too funny," she managed to say between fits of the giggles. The CEO of KaibaCorp sat on her living room floor with fake snow still clinging to his eyelashes and nose. If only she had a camera, the picture would be worth millions. "C'mon, haha, let's get you cleaned up."

She held her hand out to him, to help him up, and he accepted it gracefully, a sheepish smile on his face. "I guess I'll know never to do that again."

"You learn something knew everyday," she quoted as they walked into the kitchen. Now was his chance to get good use out of that mistletoe. He stopped under that spot and glanced up. Yup, it was still there, just begging to be used. And Mokuba was nowhere to be found. Téa continued on to the counter and picked up a clean dishtowel, running a corner of it under the tap to wet it down. She knew from experience that it was clingy stuff and needed to be scrubbed away.

"Do you want to do this? Or do you want me to?" Téa asked, holding the green dishtowel between them. She wasn't his mother after all, and by this time in his life, he should know how to wash his own face. Standing there, under that lamp with his hands in his pockets and sheepish grin on his face, he just looked so... so cute and she couldn't help but giggle again.

"Before we get to that, I need you to do something for me," Seto stated, well aware of exactly what he was going to ask her to do.

"What is it, Seto? Should I make a deal now? That's how you businessmen operate isn't it?" That sly look in her eyes amused him and he paused for a second to catch his breath before he continued on.

"No, no deals. I just need you to look up and tell me what you see." His gravely voice caught her attention. The last time he'd sounded like that was the first time he'd kissed her, out in the snow.

Why was he wasting time talking to her instead of holding her against him and doing the things his body was screaming for him to do? The sweet tension coursing through his system was demanding to be satisfied. Her eyes lifted to the ceiling and he heard her gasp. The devilish smirk on his lips was back as she looked into his eyes once more.

"Mistletoe... who put that there?" she whispered, her eyes wide in amazement. It couldn't have been Seto, he hadn't left her side all night. The _only_ person it could have been was... "Mokuba?"

"My devious younger brother," Seto confirmed as a grin spread across her mouth. She moved a step closer to him, ignoring the dishtowel in her hands and the snow still clinging to his face, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The scent of his aftershave was overpowering her and she gave in to the desires running rampant through her body as she rested her head on his chest.

"You know what mistletoe means, right?" Her provocative tone of voice told him all he needed to know. Well, that and the heart he felt beating so close to his own as she pressed herself against him. "And you have been good. Very good, I should say. Should we consider this our quiet, little corner for a moment?"

Her eyes were so intensely blue that he couldn't think of a name for a colour that pure. Azure, sapphire, cerulean, cobalt, navy – all of those names didn't even come close. The only name that fit was simply Téa. Seto smiled down at her. "Mmm, tradition says that those who meet under the mistletoe must exchange a kiss."

"Thank God for tradition," Téa replied and felt him lean closer, one hand encircling her waist as the other skimmed up her back and tangled itself into her hair, bringing his lips into heady contact with hers. The sweet tension broke over him like a wave as he lost himself in the feel of her mouth on his. He pulled her closer, feeling her hands tousle his hair into a disorganized mess again and the smile that curled her lips up as she did it. Lifting onto her tiptoes, she kissed him back with an eagerness that surprised even herself. He was being too gentle, though, this time around. The **heat** was what she wanted from him. Raw passion right now. The electric friction between them increased exponentially and he groaned softly as she nipped at his bottom lip. His mouth opened for her and her tongue swept in, tasting the cider he'd had earlier and his own unique taste as well. She didn't know exactly how to describe it but to her, he tasted like fire. Forget the ice god/human glacier/popsicle image. That was forever shattered in her mind as his tongue sparred with hers and they separated for only short gasps of breath.

Seto never thought that just a kiss could be so ... erotic. The feel of her fingers grasping his hair, the taste of her lips and tongue, the smell of her shampoo as it surrounded him and the feel of her exquisite figure pressed so intimately against him were intoxicating in a way he never knew was possible outside of dreams. Who knew that such an intense passion existed in the perky cheerleader? The soul-searing kiss was reluctantly broken as the need for a deep breath became quite apparent. Her hands, dishtowel included, removed themselves from his hair and resettled around his waist as she leaned against his chest once more, listening to the thunderous beating of his heart.

"Téa," he whispered, his voice hoarse with want, as he wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his warm, male scent. She shivered at the way her name rolled off his tongue, at the need that was so pronounced in that one word. Wow, she didn't realize how much the teasing had affected him.

"Mmm?" she asked, nestling in closer to him and letting her hands trail gently up and down his back, not caring if that stupid green dishtowel got in the way.

Neither of them heard the front door open and close or the footsteps that pounded their way slowly towards the kitchen.

"Thank God for mistletoe," Seto said, leaning down a bit and giving the top of her head a quick kiss. They stood like that for a second or two longer, just enjoying the peaceful silence between them, before taking a step back from each other. Just as she was going to hand Seto the dishtowel to clean off the rest of the fake snow from his face, his hand came up and his thumb caressed her cheek.

Unfortunately, that's exactly when the shouting started.

Groan. Not again.

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**Round 5 complete**

Mwahahaha, great cliff hanger, eh? Hope you all enjoyed this instalment of my story. Chapter 10 will be up in about a week. Thanks for all of your great reviews...

Chapter 10 – "Dinnertime"


	10. Dinnertime

**Chapter 10 - Dinnertime!**

Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Just want the characters to have some fun after all of the turmoil they've recently experienced. I cried after the duel with Raphael… sniff.

Well, the last time we left our friends, Yugi and Mokuba had gone downstairs to get sodas, leaving our newest couple alone. A can of fake snow went haywire and Seto and Téa ended up having a most spectacular kiss in the kitchen under the mistletoe hung by our resident mischief-maker. The scene ended with all kinds of shouting starting to happen. Hehe… who's shouting, you ask? Read on and find out.

**The Beginning of the End**…

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Neither of them heard the front door open and close or the footsteps that pounded their way slowly towards the kitchen.

"Thank God for mistletoe," Seto said, leaning down a bit and giving the top of her head a quick kiss. They stood like that for a second or two longer, just enjoying the peaceful silence between them, before taking a step back from each other. Just as she was going to hand Seto the dishtowel to clean off the rest of the fake snow from his face, his hand came up and his thumb caressed her cheek.

Unfortunately, that's when the shouting started.

"**Kaiba! Get your filthy, money-grubbin' hands offa her**!" Joey shouted, his voice loud enough to bring the roof down as he walked into the kitchen and surveyed the scene before him.

"Yeah," Tristan added, punching the air for emphasis. Joey, however, took it one step further as he barrelled down on Kaiba. The resounding smack was heard quite clearly as Kaiba's hand was rudely thrust away from Téa's cheek.

Seto's icy glare turned on the blonde-haired boy and the glint in his eye should have been a warning. Wheeler, however, was quite oblivious. Maybe Seto had been wrong about there being intelligence between Wheeler's ears. "I was merely wiping away some of the snow that we were using on the windows in the living room. Do you have a problem with that?" He took the towel that was still grasped in Téa's outstretched hand and took a quick swipe with it over his face, hopefully removing the white stuff. The twinkle in her eyes told him he hadn't even gotten close.

"Yeah, I do, Kaiba. De problem is dat **you** were de one doin' it!" The exchange of words had reached a high enough pitch that Yugi and Mokuba raced into the kitchen, sodas in hand, to see the three boys in a stand off. Kaiba stood next to Téa, his hands folded over his chest, with Joey being held back by Tristan as he looked ready to pounce and give Kaiba the thrashing of his life.

"What's going on, guys?" Mokuba asked, truly bewildered. He'd never seen his brother look so upset before. There was now a very distinct possibility of seeing blood.

"Yeah, what's all the shouting about?" Yugi asked, wondering what had gotten into his two friends to get them so upset in the first place. Usually they weren't so violent, even if Kaiba was involved. Yami emerged in spirit form from the puzzle and glanced around, hoping that he didn't have to step in and stop a fight. And he'd just been enjoying a most wonderful flavour of soda called 'Root Beer'.

"I came in here 'n' found our **_friend_** Kaiba wit' his paws all over Téa…" Joey started to say, leaning forward with every word he said, making Tristan have to lean that much farther back to stop him from pummelling Kaiba. Téa rolled her eyes skyward, praying for the strength to stop herself from thrashing him silly. Kaiba just stared challengingly at Wheeler. The dog had no sense to back off while he still had a chance.

"Joey, stop being so melodramatic! Like he said, he was just rubbing some of that snow stuff off my cheek. Ease up. If he had been 'pawing' me, don't you think I could have taken care of him myself?" Téa stepped between the two boys as she felt the tension escalate. Joey growled and Kaiba just glared, leaning in further himself until he and Wheeler were almost nose to nose. She placed a restraining hand on each of their chests, hoping she didn't have to knock sense into either of them. With Joey, it would be a regular occurrence but with Seto… she didn't even want to go there. It was hard enough having her hand on his chest and not being able to do anything else with it there.

In the heat of the arguing, none of them, except Yugi and Yami, noticed Mokuba slinking closer, an evil grin splitting his face from ear to ear. All he needed were the horns and tail to complete the devilish look.

"I don't like him near you," Joey growled through clenched teeth. Wiping that smirk off of Kaiba's face was the only plan on his agenda right now. The only things between him and his goal were Téa's hand on his chest and Tristan tugging on his arm.

"Come off it, Joey. Remember, you promised to behave. And if you're both going to act like rabid beasts, I'm going to send you both outside to cool off!" They still struggled against her, Joey muttering under his breath and Kaiba simply glowering at him. BOYS! Would they never learn? Mentally sighing, she stood between them and looked in surprise as Mokuba popped up into her line of sight.

"Um, Téa, Seto, Joey?? Look up!" Mokuba announced, grinning maniacally. This was going to be good.

Very good.

Three pairs of eyes glanced up and two of them instantly realized exactly what they were going to see. Oh no, they'd fallen into Mokuba's trap. Seto mentally congratulated his younger brother on actually managing to pull it off. The blue dish soap incident was one that had failed miserably, once Seto had gotten a hold of his mischievous younger brother and gotten his revenge. The gleam in Mokuba's eyes was quite devilish, reminding Téa of Seto's eyes just before he'd kissed her outside in the snow, as the three teens returned their eyes to him.

Mission accomplished.

**Something** was about to hit the fan.

"Mistletoe? Huh? How did dat get up der?" Joey asked, looking at Téa questioningly. There was something else going on here as he saw the lightest of blushes staining Téa's cheeks. Maybe her and Kaiba, KAIBA!, had kiss… no that wasn't possible. Téa would never do that. She was too smart to fall for someone like Kaiba… then again… his hair was all messy as if someone, …_Téa…,_ had run their hands through it…

"You know the rules, guys. When you're standing under the mistletoe, you have to kiss the other person that's under it, too," Mokuba announced happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. The sugar rush was in full bloom and the soda he'd had downstairs had upped his energy level considerably. Seto narrowed his eyes, watching his younger brother bask in glee at his success.

"No way!! Der is no way dat I'm gonna kiss Kaiba. My lips'd prob'ly stick t' dat ice block!" Joey stated vehemently. The anger of the moment between Joey and Kaiba had dissipated at the revelation of the mistletoe to be replaced with something much worse. Embarrassment. Humiliation. Mortification. Yugi, Yami and Tristan weren't helping any either. Their snickers could be heard even though they tried covering them up with their hands. Even Téa started grinning, despite the fact that she had been caught under there as well.

"I'm not going anywhere near that mutt! Rabies is a communicable disease!" Seto shot back just as vehemently.

"Then I guess you'll both just have to kiss Téa!" He positively beamed like a small sun in the middle of that kitchen. Mokuba knew it had been a good idea to get that mistletoe. And he had his brother and Téa under the mistletoe together. In about thirty seconds, he'd have all of his suspicions confirmed. He could see in his brother's eyes that he liked the idea of kissing Téa.

"What? Kiss Téa? That'd be like kissin' Seren, my sister… I guess it's not dat bad. Better den kissin' Kaiba anyways."

"Like kissing you would be some sort of picnic? Don't flatter yourself, Wheeler."

"C'mon, you three, you know the rules. What Mokuba suggested sounds fair to me since all three of you are under that mistletoe." Yugi was grinning now, a little jealous that he wasn't the one caught under there with her. But no matter, what's done is done. Maybe he'd find out for sure if Téa was crushing on Kaiba and vice versa.

"Kissing her is a better option than kissing Wheeler, at any rate." His eyes flicked to her, pleading forgiveness for the harshness of his statement. Honestly, he was looking forward to it but he couldn't let it show. He just wanted to keep their new relationship a secret for a little while longer. The quick wink he got in response told him everything he needed to know. Mentally, he shook his head. He couldn't believe that he was asking someone else for forgiveness. Will wonders never cease?

She sighed dramatically. There really was no way to get out of this situation gracefully. "Well, if you both have to kiss me, might as well get it over with. Only a kiss on the cheek. No one said that it had to be on the lips." Her heart sped up at the thought of just having his lips on her skin once more. Too bad there were going to be so many witnesses to this. The three of them were never going to live this down. "C'mon, hurry up. The sooner it's done, the sooner we eat. I'm assuming that the lights are strung up outside?"

"Yeah, we were jus' comin' in t' get an extension cord t' plug 'em in." Joey's face was turning a very interesting shade of red and he was about to try stalling the inevitable when a chorus of "Do it, do it, do it" started up. Yugi and Tristan, who'd by now let go of Joey's arm, were almost on the verge of giggling uncontrollably as they chanted. Mokuba was, by far, the loudest of the three and Yami just looked on in amusement. This was something he'd never seen before. Such strange traditions in this era. Amazing that one small piece of greenery held so much meaning in this culture. His deep voice, inaudible to anyone but Yugi, joined in the chorus nonetheless.

"We're waiting," Mokuba stated in a sing-song voice. He might as well get as much pleasure as he could from this since Seto was probably already planning his revenge against him.

Téa's hands fell to her sides as the boys relaxed their stance, no longer in danger of actually rubbing noses. Inhale. Exhale. This was going to be one weird experience. Joey felt his cheeks heat up a little. This was Téa, his best friend. At least she was way better looking than Kaiba was. And female. Seto concentrated on just looking at Téa and trying to keep from going scarlet in the presence of Yugi's little fan club. It wouldn't do to have their little secret spilled just yet.

The boys leaned closer, closing their eyes and praying that it would be over quickly, and let their lips touch Téa's cheeks. So soft and warm, Seto thought, letting his lips part a little as he took a quick taste of her skin. Sweet, with a hint of honey. He'd have to remember that for later. When they were alone. Joey barely let his lips brush against her cheek. It was too weird to kiss his best friend. It felt… wrong. Téa stood still as a statue and felt that little lick from Seto on her skin. Oh, he was going to pay for that since she couldn't do it in return. She'd have to remember that for later. When they were alone. Joey's lips just tickled her.

The ear-splitting catcalls bounced off the walls of the kitchen and echoed through the air… it was a minute or two until everyone settled down, grinning wildly at the hilarity of the situation.

"Der. Satisfied?" Joey backed away quickly, running his hand through his hair to calm himself down. He liked Téa well enough as a friend but he'd been right. Kissing her, even her cheek, had been like kissing his sister.

"Now that it's over, how about we all sit at the table and eat?" Téa announced calmly, wanting to dispel the memory for now. No doubt it would be brought up continually. For the next few decades or so. Sparing herself from it right now was a worthwhile cause.

Tristan, Yugi and Mokuba burst out laughing uncontrollably once more. The whole scenario had been absolutely hilarious. Joey's face was so red and Kaiba looked ready to kill the first person who mentioned it as he tried again to scrub the fake snow from his face. And Téa? Her cheeks were a brilliant shade of magenta, having passed way beyond the red spectrum. She spun around quickly and headed for the stove, glad that she had an excuse to turn her back on the group. Turning off the oven and grabbing a pair of oven mitts, she opened the oven door and pulled out the lasagna. Immediate silence filled the room as they sniffed the wonderful aroma of dinner.

The sounds of scraping chairs and murmured "Excuse me"'s were all she heard when she turned around again and brought the huge, steaming dish over to the table. Joey sat at the far end of the table, as far away from Kaiba as possible while remaining in the same room, next to Tristan who had sat down next to Kaiba. Tristan was only there to basically stop the two of them from killing each other should the need arise during dinner. Yugi and Mokuba had sat next to each other, leaving the head of the table across from Joey open for Téa to sit down at.

"Is dat what I tink it is, Téa?" Joey asked, ready to start salivating. Food, of any kind, was a good thing but if that dish was what he thought it was, dinner was going to be a heavenly experience.

"Yup. Dieter's Nightmare Lasagna," she stated proudly, setting the heavy dish down on the trivets in the middle of the table. Removing the foil, everyone sighed in appreciation. Mokuba looked askance at his big brother. He'd never eaten anything with the word 'nightmare' in it, except for a cake called Triple Chocolate Nightmare. Or was it Double Chocolate Dream? He couldn't remember. Seto gave him a little thumb's up sign and he visibly relaxed.

Dinner was going to be an interesting affair.

"So, who's hungry?" Téa asked, picking up the knife and getting ready to start cutting up the lasagna. Joey's plate was the first one thrust in her direction. No surprise there.

After serving dinner to all of her friends, Téa was surprised when Seto stood up and gently removed the spatula from her hand and dished out her serving of the lasagna. Their eyes met briefly and a pin could be heard dropping somewhere in the distance.

"A gentleman always serves a lady," he stated smoothly, seating himself back in his chair before shooting a look of contempt at Wheeler. The mutt had no manners at all.

Joey saw the look and fumed to himself. Kaiba thought he was so smart and sophisticated. Well, he'd show him. Filling his glass from the pitcher of juice that sat on the table, Joey raised it high and announced, "A toast to de hostess wit' de mostest."

Everyone seconded Joey's toast, even Kaiba, with a "Here, here", though the sneer he wore was enough to get Joey's blood boiling. Stupid Kaiba thought he didn't know how to behave. Well, he'd show him that he was a gentleman, too. Yugi and Tristan just sighed. Joey was going to be competitive to the end, no matter how much of a fool he made of himself. It couldn't be as bad as watching him duel Kaiba, at any rate.

"Well, don't stand on ceremony! Dig in!" Téa said. That was all anyone needed to hear. Joey, Yugi and Tristan attacked their mess of lasagna with a passion while Seto and Mokuba took a smaller bite. They'd never had this before and so didn't know what to expect.

"MMMMMMMM wow," Mokuba shouted, grinning happily before digging in just as eagerly as Joey, "This is really good. I don't think I've ever had anything like this before." A home cooked meal was so much better than the dinners Seto usually brought home from the restaurant down the street from their house. Maybe Téa would come over and cook for them sometime. With his suspicions confirmed, Mokuba was confident that the sight of Téa at their house wouldn't come as a shock to him.

"Now I know why it's called a Dieter's Nightmare," Seto murmured to her from her right side. She couldn't help but be pleased at the compliments. She was so happy that she decided to tease Seto a little more. No rest for the naughty. Taking a quick bite of lasagna herself, Téa deliberately let a little of the white sauce stain her lips. His attention was focussed on her once more as her tongue came out and licked that little spot away. At the same time, she pressed her foot against his calf, sliding it slowly up and down, watching his involuntary gasp and subsequent cough. Don't you dare blush, he thought to himself, watching that small pink tongue travel around her lips once more and feeling her foot sensually caressing his leg under the table for another short moment. She was really going to torture him tonight if she kept that up. It just made him even more anxious to collect on their little 'agreement'.

No one else noticed this little exchange as they started to chat about their favourite topic, other than food. Duel Monsters, what else? Téa tried to keep up with the conversation but deck building strategies and when to use trap cards was a boring topic to her. Seto, however, got very involved in the conversation, demolishing almost every single one of Wheeler's ideas. A deck couldn't be built that depended solely on luck. Power was more important. On and on they went, the two of them, trying to best each other with their knowledge. Eventually, even Yugi, Tristan and Mokuba stopped talking, letting the other two have the floor.

She sat back and watched the scene unfold before her. They were actually having a semi-normal conversation. No one was trying to kill anyone, **yet**, and there was no shouting whatsoever. Whoever would have thought that Seto and Joey could have an intelligent conversation? They would probably be good friends if they could ever get over their intense dislike of each other. Maybe this was the first step towards some sort of reconciliation.

Seto was, to say the least, surprised at how well Wheeler understood Duel Monsters. He'd always taken him to be a bit of a fluff ball, a stupid, blonde mutt, but they were actually discussing something with a degree of intelligence that Seto had never found in anyone else except Yugi. Hmm, maybe the dog wasn't so bad after all. Wonder if his deck's gotten any better? Surprise registered across his face as the thought hit him.

Joey was, to say the least, surprised that he was having such a normal conversation with the human popsicle. He'd always seen Kaiba as a pompous, obnoxious, arrogant jerk but to hear him talk so passionately about Duel Monsters had him thinking a little differently about the elder Kaiba. Whoever would have thought that he'd find himself actually agreeing to some of the points he was making about how to build a deck?

"Now, what if I used 'Fissure' t' destroy one o' yer monsters. How would you counter dat?" Joey asked, helping himself to a third piece of lasagna. Better enjoy it now, since Téa wasn't likely to give him any leftovers.

"You'd never get the chance to use it. I'd have 'Magic Jammer' face down on the field. I wouldn't be stupid enough to leave myself wide open to such a simplistic attack," Seto replied, helping himself to a second piece of lasagna. Maybe he could get Téa to give him a plate of leftovers to take home. This was so much better than take out from that Italian place down the street from his house.

"But my trap card 'Seven Tools…'" The conversation continued on and on.

Even Yugi and Yami were impressed with the way the two were discussing Duel Monsters. The level of intelligence and complexity of detail the two were talking about was amazing. They knew that Kaiba was a great duellist but to hear Joey speaking as he was was a shock to the ancient Spirit and his host.

Wow, they're actually getting along, Mokuba thought to himself. Maybe Seto would finally put his grudge against them aside and really be friends with these guys. They were fun to hang out with, when the world wasn't in need of saving, anyways. And even then… it was interesting.

Tristan moved his head from side to side, watching the two guys argue back and forth like it was a tennis match. They'd gone a lot further into detail about stuff and he'd lost them somewhere between 'Skull Dice' and 'Swords of Revealing Light'. Whoever would have thought that Joey would talk to Kaiba in some semblance of a normal tone without having to be held back from trying to pummel him to death.

Will wonders never cease?

A half hour, dessert and much discussion later, the group stood up from the table. Joey patted his full stomach and glanced at Téa, hoping to catch her eye. Her eyebrows rose as she caught his glance. He walked over to her and grinned sheepishly before stating his request.

"Hey, Téa, since der's so much lasagna left, couldja gimme some leftovers? I can't ever have enough o' dat stuff. And you only make it once 'n a while so…please? Ya could consider it as part o' my birthday present…" Looking as desperate as he could usually won her over and today was no exception.

She smiled at him, happy that he hadn't ended up trying to kill Kaiba over dinner. Maybe their Duel Monsters discussion would lead to something more akin to friendship between the two. "Sure, Joey, help yourself. But don't take all of it. I need to save some for myself for tomorrow."

"Sure ting, Téa." Joey's grin split his face in two as he heaped a huge portion of lasagna on his plate and went looking for the plastic wrap. Tomorrow's breakfast was ready.

"Well, thanks for dinner, Téa. It was great, as usual," Yugi said.

"Yeah, better than last time when Yugi's grandpa cooked that rice thing. It still gives me nightmares," Tristan added. The two boys ambled slowly out into the living room, presumably to get their coats from the banister that led upstairs. Téa was immediately assaulted by the black haired younger Kaiba as he threw his arms around her waist and threatened to crush her with his hug.

"That was the best dinner I've had in a long time. Maybe you could invite us over for dinner another time," Mokuba said, his voice not betraying a hint of slyness at all. He knew, all right. He knew everything. And Seto was going to get him for the whole mistletoe thing.

Seto, who knew his younger brother MUCH better than Téa did, heard the implied sly tone. Sigh. At least Mokuba was smart enough to keep his mouth shut about his newfound knowledge. Placing his hand on Mokuba's shoulder, he pulled him out of his rib-crushing grip around Téa's middle, feeling jealous that his little brother could be so free with her little friends around. If HE tried something like that, Wheeler would try to break his arms. 'Try' being the operative word.

"Thank you, Gardner. We had a most… interesting evening. But now, it's time to get Mokuba home and ready for bed. Isn't that right, Mokuba?" Seto didn't miss the face his little brother made at him and grinned in response. Oh yes, Seto was so going to get revenge on him for that whole mistletoe fiasco.

"It was quite interesting, wasn't it, Kaiba?" she agreed. He couldn't miss the gleam in her eyes as she stared at him knowingly, the corners of her mouth tilted upwards.

"Mmm, indeed. And dinner was excellent. Thank you again," he said, giving her a little wink that no one else could see.

"Hey, Téa, could we have some leftovers, too? I think that's the best dinner I've had in… in… forever!" Mokuba looked at her pleadingly and she couldn't very well refuse someone as cute as Seto's younger brother.

"Sure, Mokuba. The same rules apply. You have to leave some for me." She grinned down at him and gave his hair a quick ruffle before he ran off to fill a plate and get the plastic wrap from Joey, who was currently taking a heap of the apple crumble as well. What Téa didn't know, wouldn't hurt her, he thought.

"So, I guess I'll see you later," Seto said softly, looking into her eyes and watching them crinkle at the corners as she smiled at him. How he wished he could just take her into his arms and give them all an example of what a **real** kiss was. Not tonight. Their relationship was too fragile and too new still.

"You better. Or I'll make you regret your little act out there in the snow," she whispered, his eyes full of laughter and wonder at her words. She'd have to plan a time to meet him again. But they could work out the details of that another day, before the Christmas Eve party. Such a shame that they couldn't share a proper goodbye. Soon though…

Joey and Mokuba raced out into the living room, holding their plates of leftovers closely and carefully, as Téa and Seto followed slowly behind them. She watched them all get ready to leave, putting their coats on and stepping into their shoes. "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" came on the radio, she noticed absently.

Her friends were all chatting happily amongst themselves as they moved slowly towards the front door until a short game of "Keep Away" broke out when Tristan stole Joey's plate of lasagna. Seto stood off to the side, a smirk on his lips as he watched Téa gather up a few loose ends and herd everyone a little faster towards the front door, after getting back Joey's plate of lasagna. He was definitely going to see her later. She just didn't know how soon 'later' was going to be. Once Mokuba was in bed…

Opening the front door, she shooed them all out, feeling Seto's hand trail fire across her arm as he walked passed her, and shouted, "Thanks for all of your help, guys. See you Christmas Eve." Waving her arm over her head, she watched the five of them depart and sighed happily.

Another successful "Get Ready for Christmas Eve Party." Way more successful than the last time they'd done this at Yugi's. She'd actually managed to get Seto over here this time. Setting up her Aunt Carol with Roland was one of the best ideas she'd ever had.

Will wonders never cease?

_**Fin**_

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**Author's Notes:**

Well, folks. Whew, that's the longest chapter I've ever written but the end has come. Thanks for sticking with it and for giving me such great reviews. I apologize for the cliff-hangers… wait no, I don't. They were a lot of fun.

Stay tuned for the epilogue which will be up in a week or so. Did you really think Seto was going to go home, and stay there, without collecting on his 'binding legal agreement'? Shame on you. It's not going to be a lemon but it will be cute and sweet...

There will also be a sequel to this story. I haven't really decided on a title but it's going to be about the Christmas Eve party. And it will probably have the word Christmas in it somewhere to celebrate the season. After all, no one knows about our newest couple. They have to find out sometime… Poor Joey…

I've issued a bit of a challenge to anyone willing to check it out. It's on my profile page. And let me know about it. I really want to see what you guys and gals come up with.

Thanks for the great laughs. See you in the future.

Aphrael21 ;)


	11. Binding, Legal Agreement and Snowstorms

**Epilogue – Binding, Legal Agreements and Snowstorms**

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I still didn't own anything more than a few calendars and pencils. Sigh.

Everyone has finally gone home after an 'entertaining' day of decorating and eating. What will happen now, you ask? The true end of this story now begins as one figure makes his way back to her house. Sigh… binding, legal agreements are so much fun.

**WARNING!!:** contains much, much fluffiness and mushy stuff!! May be a **little explicit** for younger readers. You have been warned!!!

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After giving the five departing figures one last enthusiastic wave of her arm, Téa shut the door and flicked the lock, sighing happily. Another Christmas Eve to look forward to, she thought, before her cheeks glowed brighter than a sunset. Seto's final touch on her arm still lingered and tingled. She wouldn't be spending this Christmas alone, either.

Walking back into the living room, she surveyed the mess that greeted her. Grimace. Sigh. The work was never done. Mugs of half-finished cider littered the coffee and end tables. Wrinkled vegetables peeked out from underneath the couch, reminding her of Joey's battle with them earlier that night. And he hadn't done a good job cleaning them up either. She'd have to get him for that later. Maybe threaten to not make his birthday cake as she usually did. That would certainly make him sit up and listen.

Glancing at the clock on top of the T.V., she saw that it was already 7:30 in the evening. The sun had set over an hour ago and she still had the mess of the century to clean up. Sigh. Might as well get started. At least she could listen to the radio while she was cleaning. Turning it up a bit, she heard the merry sounds of "Jingle Bell Rock" as it played and she couldn't help but smile.

Tonight had been very interesting indeed.

Téa spent the next couple of hours or so putting the living room and kitchen back into some semblance of order. The dishes were washed, dried and put away, the leftovers, what few there were thanks to Joey and Mokuba, were put away in the fridge, the tables were dusted and the carpet was vacuumed. Her mouth gaped open in a yawn and she stretched her arms over her head as she headed upstairs to have a quick shower before having an early date with her bed. Her friends were great but they could be emotionally draining when she was in a constant battle to stop one from killing another. If only they knew what had really happened through the night, they would have hit the roof and really tried to kill Seto.

Mmm, Seto, she thought, a grin breaking through yet another yawn as she stepped under the hot spray of water. Memories of him flashed through her mind, from the "I'm sorry", to the snow-shovelling and subsequent kiss in the snow to that last kiss they'd shared, ALONE, under the mistletoe. Seto Kaiba was a better kisser than she would have given him credit for yesterday. She couldn't wait for him to collect on their 'binding legal agreement'. That little lick on her cheek he'd given her during their second mistletoe kiss… she owed him for that one. Payback was always fun and didn't necessarily have to involve a snow wash. She scrubbed herself dry with her towel, put her pyjamas on and walked into her room.

Her bed looked so inviting, so warm and cozy, with its' pink and white comforter and big, fluffy pillows but she wasn't as tired as she'd been before her shower. Shrugging her shoulders, she threw on her red, silk bathrobe and headed downstairs. Maybe some mindless T.V. and a cup of hot chocolate would relax her enough to hit the sheets.

Settled on the couch, mug of marshmallows melting in hot chocolate in hand, she flicked on the T.V. and turned it to one of the movie stations. Some mindless movie with Kevin Costner on a boat played on the screen but she really wasn't paying too much attention. Too lost in thoughts of Seto Kaiba and what the two of them had started that day. Smiling as she set down her mug of hot chocolate, she recalled how easy it was to fluster him. And then remembered with chagrin, how easy it was for him to do the same to her. Fingering the pendant that hung around her neck, she giggled. Whoever would have thought that the fiery cheerleader and the cold-hearted bastard would be so well suited for each other?

Mokuba, obviously. It had been his own, devilish idea to hang the mistletoe in the kitchen. Thank God he had, or the two of them would have driven each other crazy through the night. Her cheeks grew hot when she remembered how intense that kiss had been.

_Lifting onto her tiptoes, she kissed him back with an eagerness that surprised even herself. He was being too gentle, though, this time around. The **heat** was what she wanted from him. Raw passion right now. The electric friction between them increased exponentially and he groaned softly as she nipped at his bottom lip. His mouth opened for her and her tongue swept in, tasting the cider he'd had earlier and his own unique taste as well. She didn't know exactly how to describe it but to her, he tasted like fire._

_He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss as his tongue sparred with hers. He felt so warm and… male and… solid that she couldn't resist letting her hands skim down his back, lightly caressing the muscles and feeling them tense at her touch. A groan escaped his lips when her hands reached lower and gave a little squeeze …_

**Ding dong ding dong … ding dong ding dong.**

**Ding dong ding dong … ding dong ding dong.**

**Ding dong ding dong … ding dong ding dong.**

**Ding dong ding dong … ding dong ding dong.**

She sat up with a start, rubbing her eyes and realized that she had fallen asleep on the couch. And someone was about to break the doorbell if they didn't stop punching it soon. She wasn't deaf and whoever it was had gotten her attention. Sighing as she finger combed her still damp hair and tightened the sash on her robe, she headed for the front door, determined to give whoever was on the other side a piece of her mind for waking up the entire neighbourhood at… she checked the clock over the T.V… 11:13 at night and ruining her perfect dream. It had better not be Joey come begging for more leftovers. The door latch felt cool under her fingers as she pressed it down after snicking the lock open.

"Did you think I'd forgotten about our 'binding, legal agreement', Gardner?" a cool voice asked amidst the swirl of snow the wind carried into her face. No, it couldn't be... could it? Could the object of her dreams be standing at her door right now?

"Seto? What are you doing here? You do realize what time it is, don't you?" Téa regarded him sleepily as he stepped into the hallway and she shut the door behind him, somehow noting that he'd changed before re-appearing at her house. Snug blue jeans and a thick, black, cable knit sweater caressed his long, lean form. A form she couldn't help but admire from all angles as he slipped his coat off his shoulders and placed it on the banister. Before her sleepy mind could react, Seto had her in his arms and the scent of his aftershave surrounded her once more.

"Of course I know what time it is. It's time for you to pay me for all of my services and hard work. You promised to make it worth my while, remember?" he whispered, sliding his hands up her back to her shoulders, feeling some sort of smooth material slip under his fingers. He hadn't gotten a look at her yet. The thrice-damned snow out there had obscured his vision when she'd opened the door and he hadn't been able to stop himself from holding her close.

"At this time of night? I was just about to slip off to bed," she complained, mocking him gently, inhaling his scent. It was like a drug to her. She could never get enough of it. She was going to have to buy a bottle of it or something.

She felt his laughter and grinned as she held him closer for a second before pushing herself away from him. The front hallway was no place for this sort of thing. He gasped sharply when he saw what, exactly, she was wearing. She hadn't been kidding about getting ready for bed.

That blue tank top and shorts pyjama set he'd seen spread out on her bed earlier now covered her exquisite form. Not that he could see much of it with the long, rumpled, red silk robe she wore over top of it. Combined with that sleepy look in her eyes and her damp, tousled hair, he decided that the 'just getting ready for bed look' was sexy as all get out. His breath caught in his throat as his wandering eyes saw the telltale glitter of the pendant and chain he'd given her still around her neck. Through the V of the robe, he could see that it rested under her pyjama top, right between her… The brilliant flush of scarlet across his cheeks was greeted with a knowing look when his eyes came up to meet hers. Her eyes flicked down and saw that he was still wearing her belt buckle. She knew that that had been a great present for him and wondered now why she had agonized so long over it.

"Going to bed so soon?" he asked, his tone light-hearted and not too serious, "Care for some company?" She didn't answer but her laughter rang out merrily as she turned and headed towards the living room once more. They always ended up either there or in the kitchen, it seemed. Not that he minded, as long as he was close to her.

The smell of her hair was subtly different, he thought as he followed her into the living room. She sat down at the end of the couch and patted the seat beside her, smiling all the while. The chain from the pendant still glittered in the glow coming from the T.V. and he couldn't take his eyes off it when he sat down next to her. She snuggled into him immediately, hand on his chest and cheek resting in that oh-so comfortable spot on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. The damp strands of her hair caressed his chin and neck and he inhaled that unfamiliar scent of her shampoo once more. Strawberries, he figured and sighed. Yet another company he was going to have to buy.

She trailed a finger up and down the sweater that covered his perfect chest, lazily drawing circles, and sighed softly in contentment. Another yawn broke through a second later and she felt the rumble of laughter in his chest once more.

"Tired?" Seto asked, his fingers running through her hair now, revelling in the damp, silky softness.

"What do you think?" she asked right back, sitting up a little so she could peer into his blue, blue eyes. "I told you I was just about to go to bed."

"Judging by that yawn, I'd say you were too tired to make good on that little promise you made me a few hours ago." A note of challenge hung in the air between them and he watched the grin spread across her beautiful face. He was in for it now.

"Too tired? I don't know. **I'm** not sure if **you** could handle it…"

"Bring it on," was his only response and the glimmer in her eyes made him weak in the knees. Maybe he shouldn't have issued her the challenge. Maybe he should have just…

Too late.

Quick as a wink, he was on his back on the couch with Téa straddling him across his middle. Provocative. Sensual, especially with her curtain of hair cascading over her shoulders as she leaned over him. Her pendant swung free, giving him a tantalizing view of what was underneath that blue tank top. At least he wasn't sweating. Yet.

"Sure you can handle it?" Her sexy whisper sent shivers down his spine. Payback time for that lick under the mistletoe. He just didn't know it yet. And she was going to make him really work for this 'agreement'.

"Bring it on," Seto commanded once more, wrapping his arms around her waist. The damn robe was too slippery, his hands just kept sliding down. Growling low in his throat, he pulled at the sash holding it closed and made a move to slip his hands under it.

"Ah ah ah," she scolded. "None of that. **I'm** supposed to be making it worth **your** while." She grasped his wrists in her hands and held them down over his head. This was a new twist, he thought. He'd never had anyone do this before. Not that he'd ever been in this **exact** position before, with a girl straddling him. Usually, he was the one in control of the situation, no matter what it was. Then again, he'd never messed with Téa before. The fiery cheerleader was constantly surprising him. She had usurped his authority completely. Her grip was surprisingly strong as well.

She pressed her body closer to him, molding it to his, and he inhaled sharply. So soft and warm, even through that thrice-damned robe that was now half-open. Her face was inches above his, her knees keeping her weight off him and the wicked gleam in her luminous blue eyes was beguiling. How had he never noticed before today how attractive she was?

"Are you ready?" she asked, her lips hovering just millimetres above his. A groan escaped his lips just then and his hands tried to wiggle free of her grasp. No use, her grip was too tight. He was trapped… and turned on.

Her lips ghosted across his, barely skimming them, once, twice. Her hair tickled his cheeks and his breathing became a little more erratic at the near misses. Coherent thought was gone. All he wanted was for her lips to just press down on his. Teasing him was ever so much fun, she thought, watching his eyes gaze pleadingly at her. Who knew that taking control away from Seto would leave him as putty in her hands?

"Well folks, hope you have someone to cuddle up with tonight. The weather forecast is calling for 8-12 inches more of that nasty, white stuff. All major roads in Domino City have been closed to allow the road crews to prepare for the inclement weather…," the weatherman announced, his voice droning on but Téa stopped paying attention.

She grazed Seto's lips once more, smiling wickedly as he arched underneath her, trying to capture her mouth with his. Pressing a little harder against his wrists, she pressed in even closer to him, hearing his gasp and subsequent groan at the exquisite pressure of her on top of him. "That was payback for that little lick you gave me back there in the kitchen a couple of hours ago. If you promise to be good, I'll let go of your hands."

Seto nodded his head emphatically, unable to even say a word with his brain turned to mush. If she kept this up, he wasn't going to survive. Seeing his nod, she smiled and slowly released her grip on his wrists. They plunged into her hair and pulled her down so that his mouth finally connected with hers. A relieved sigh broke through and his lips caressed hers thoroughly for the next couple of minutes before they separated. He gazed up at her half-lidded eyes, passion-bruised mouth, and grinned wickedly, finally able to put a thought together.

"You are as naughty as I am," he whispered. "Santa isn't going to bring presents to either of us this year." He chuckled softly as one of her fingers traced over her lips. Now she was the one blushing a brilliant scarlet. A giggle erupted from deep in her throat and her eyes sparkled merrily as she regarded him, flushed and breathing heavily, underneath her.

"Santa already has," Téa whispered playfully, watching his eyes widen as he took in the meaning of her words. Eyes that blue and sexy should be illegal. One look and she was willing to do anything. And the way he was looking at her right now…

Seto sat up slowly, his arms around her waist holding her in his lap and felt her legs wrap around him. God, what a thought-provoking position **this** was. No, he couldn't think about that… Too late. He already was. A boy and a girl. Alone in a house. NO possibility of interruptions at this time of night… but he couldn't… His mouth came down on hers once more, his teeth nipping at her lower lip. Her mouth parted for him and his tongue swept in, tasting the hot chocolate she'd had earlier and her own unique flavour as well. He didn't know how to describe it, just that he wanted to taste more of it. He would never get tired of this one thing. And judging by the way she was gripping his arms, she wouldn't either.

Téa was in serious danger of swooning when the kiss was broken a moment later. But that was all right since Seto really didn't seem to want to relinquish his hold on her anytime soon. If it was possible, he'd become an even better kisser since earlier that evening. Maybe he'd looked up how to do it on the Internet…? "Wow."

Hugging her close, Seto stood up and heard her sharp gasp of surprise. "Thank you. Now, if I don't get you to bed soon…"

"What?" Had she heard right? Seto was taking her to bed? He was really strong…

"You need to get some sleep. And I need to get home. I have a lot of work to do if you expect me to come to your Christmas Eve sleepover." Sighing softly at his innocent need to get her to bed for sleep, and nothing else, she snuggled in closer to him, her nose against his neck as she inhaled his scent once more before something popped into her head.

"But you can't go home. All of the major roads in Domino City are closed for tonight because of the weather."

That stopped him mid-stride as he looked at her. What was she talking about? Where had she heard this crazy idea?

"It's not a crazy idea. That's what the weatherman said earlier… when I was … teasing you," she replied, biting her lip to stop from laughing at the look of incredulity on his face. Obviously, he hadn't realized that he'd spoken aloud. If that were true, then how was he supposed to get home? He had reports that he needed to work on before the meeting he had on Tuesday. There were disk designs that he had to finish for the R&D team so they could start work on building a proto-type. He had to…

She licked his cheek, her tongue scraping against the stubble, sending shivers racing through him. Musky but sweet, she thought, before saying, "Loosen up. Stop thinking about work so much."

"How… how did you know that I was thinking about work?" She must be able to read minds. If she could… he was in big trouble.

"You tensed up. Don't worry about what you can't control. Besides tomorrow is Sunday. Even you need a day off once in a while. And… and… you could sleep here… if you wanted…" her voice trailed off as she realized the implications of what she was saying. Two hormone driven teenagers alone in a house with a raging snowstorm outside. That was just about asking for trouble, or something, or Heaven forbid BOTH, to happen.

"On the couch. I'll sleep on the couch," he stuttered, flames burning his cheeks. He was feeling very shy and awkward all of a sudden. No matter how much he wanted to be alone with her, something like this was way, _way_, **_way_** beyond his spectrum of experience. She wriggled against him, bringing him back to the here and now.

"Put me down," she asked, her hands pushing against his shoulders. If he was going to stay here on the couch, she needed to get some things out of the closet for him. Pillows and blankets she had, but what about pyjamas. SHE had nothing in her closet that would fit him. Not even her father's clothes would fit his tall, lean, sexy frame. He obliged and set her down gently on the first step heading up to the second floor. And her bedroom, he thought to himself, almost disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see it tonight, even if it was just to tuck her in there.

"I'll be back in a sex… I mean sec… I just have to grab some blankets and pillows for you. I'll be … uh… yeah… just a minute…" she stuttered, calling herself an idiot in every language she could think of and inventing new words for it at the same time before dashing up the stairs at top speed. What a Freudian slip!!!!!

Seto stared after her in some confusion. Had she just said what he thought she'd just said? He shrugged his shoulders. Not that that was likely to happen in the near future. Just thinking about it made him flush to the roots of his hair. He turned around and wandered back to the couch to watch something, hopefully distracting him enough from that line of thought so that his poor heart could stop racing.

Pounding footsteps on the stairs alerted him to her re-entrance into the living room and he found himself unexpectedly covered with green blankets, red blankets and three enormous pillows. Well, his hair was already messy anyways, he thought as he unburied himself. There she stood in front of him, red robe gone and a smile as wide as Texas gracing that oh-so kissable mouth. The pendant was still there, too, the end of it hiding under her blue tank top.

"Well, um, I guess this is good night, Seto…" she said, clasping her hands demurely in front of her, totally contradicting the smile on her face. He threw the pile of bedding off to the side as she walked towards him. "Hope you sleep well. I've napped on that couch before and it's quite comfortable."

Great, how was he supposed to sleep with images of **her** sleeping there running through his mind? At least he was going to be in the same house as her. Maybe not next to her but close enough. "Sleep well, Téa. And I'll make breakfast in the morning."

Her eyes widened at that. "You can cook?" Her question was greeted with amused laughter as his hands clasped hers.

"Quite well actually. I just never have the time to between looking after Mokuba, school and my company." He pulled her closer and placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, for everything."

Téa pulled out of his grasp and turned to head back up the stairs. "You're amazing. Did you know that?" She left the question hanging between them as she went upstairs to her big, empty, cold bed.

He sat on the couch in stunned silence for a moment, going over what she'd just said. Now that had to be one of the best compliments he'd ever gotten. On par with that one line he'd heard in that movie "As Good As It Gets".

He tiptoed upstairs a couple of hours later, waiting to make sure she was asleep before he snuck up to have a peek. The house was quiet and dark, only the occasional creak of the trees outside as they bent for the wind breaking the perfect silence. The stairs didn't even creak as he carefully placed his sock-covered toes on them to minimize any noise he might make.

Just a peek. That's all he wanted. A real image of her sleeping, her hair fanned out on the pillows under her head, her lips parted as she breathed softly. If he was lucky, she might give a little sigh or moan. That was wishful thinking on his part.

Her bedroom door was already slightly ajar and he pushed it open, praying to whatever Higher Powers there were that it wouldn't squeal at this most inopportune moment.

It didn't.

He inched his way into her room and stopped when he saw her sleeping form snuggled underneath a huge pink and white comforter. Cursing silently, he realized he was going to have to go in further if he wanted to see her face. Sigh. Nothing was ever easy. The floorboards squeaked once and he froze as the form on the bed shifted position. Téa sighed softly and snuggled in further under the covers. He heaved a sigh of relief and continued on with his reconnaissance.

Finally, he reached the opposite side of her bed and peered down at her. Just like an angel. The pendant rested on the pillow, her hand clutching at the silver chain. Her mouth was parted just a little bit and he heard the soft sounds of her breathing.

Her blue eyes opened a moment later and stared at him knowingly. "What took you so long?" she whispered, her voice sleepy sounding. He just kept looking at her. Sigh. Nothing was ever easy. "Crawl in. There's room for two…" her voice trailed off as he audibly gulped. She smiled and flipped the covers back, motioning for him to get in.

So he did. She covered them both back up again and snuggled into his back, draping one arm over his waist. He sighed contentedly at the heat she radiated and burrowed down into the soft pillow under his head. "Thank you."

"..'t mention it. Just go to sleep." The rhythmic motion of her breathing told him she was almost asleep again. So he closed his eyes, smiling, and dreamed of a place that time didn't know.

_**Really FIN**_

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Wow. Told you it was cute, sweet and full of fluffiness. Hope you all enjoyed this. Expect the first chapter of the sequel in a couple of weeks. The semester at University will be done and I'll be able to concentrate whole-heartedly on that project.

Thanks again.

Aphrael21 ;)


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